Trump backs Tony Blair's proposal for post-war Gaza, says report

US President Donald Trump has reportedly authorised former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to rally regional support for a plan to establish a transitional body to govern Gaza until it is eventually handed over to the Palestinian Authority, according to The Times of Israel.

Blair has been advising the White House and talking with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, about the US president’s plans for a post-war Gaza.

The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that the Trump administration now believes securing the agreement of major international stakeholders on a body to replace Hamas in Gaza is essential for ending the war.

Trump has reportedly rejected proposals for forcibly displacing Palestinians from Gaza and has backed Blair's vision instead.

This contradicts comments made by Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on Wednesday.

Smotrich said the Gaza Strip is “a real estate bonanza” and claimed Israel has shared a plan with the US on how to divide it up.

Speaking at a real estate conference in Tel Aviv, Smotrich said Israel had carried out “the first phase of urban renewal” by demolishing Gaza, and it was now working on a plan to start rebuilding it.