The day after: A plan for Gaza

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What is next for Gaza? With or without a hostage deal, the best hope for peace depends on continuing along the path endorsed by President Biden after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack: destroy Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, prevent its ability to threaten Israel again, and deal a defeat to Iran’s "axis of resistance."

Such hopes won’t be realized by military means alone. As evidenced by the February 29 aid convoy stampede that saw scores of desperate Palestinians die, what’s required is a simultaneous effort to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and vacuum of order arising in the war’s wake. Left unattended, a descent into anarchy will worsen Gazan despair, deepen Israel’s isolation, and benefit Iran and Hamas.

After multiple trips to the Middle East and nearly 100 expert interviews, we and a group of former national security officials who worked for presidents of both parties believe the most realistic option is to create a private International Trust for Gaza Relief and Reconstruction.

The Trust would be established as an independent entity dedicated to building a peaceful post-Hamas Gaza. In effect, it would act as a super-NGO. This mechanism would offer key states, particularly in the Arab world, a less politically-charged means of