However, on October 9, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Trump’s peace plan in a post on X, saying, “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. File | Photo Credit: ANI
India has been invited by US President Donald Trump to be part of the Gaza Peace Council, sources in New Delhi said on Sunday (Jan 18, 2026). Information was also spread by the US ambassador to India, Sergio Gore, who shared on social media a letter from Mr Trump to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging India to participate in the Gaza Peace Council.
The Gaza Peace Council is made up of a group of countries called on by the US to provide a governance structure for the Gaza Strip as Hamas is pressured to relinquish its governing role in the territory under Mr Trump’s peace plan.
Pakistan said on Sunday (18 January) that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also been invited to the Gaza Peace Council.
Also Read: The Case for a Peace and Sustainable Security Council
The officials, who did not want to be named, said India has an “invitation in hand” to be on the Gaza Peace Council, although Delhi has not yet responded. It came three days after Mr Trump announced on social media that a Peace Council had been formed and that its members would be announced “soon”.
Trump chairs the board
Trump’s Gaza peace plan was first unveiled on September 29, 2025, when the US president hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Following the announcement of the peace plan, Hamas agreed to return all 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and those held in Gaza.
Read also: Mirage mirage | On Trump’s “peace plan” for Gaza
According to the plan, Gaza will be administered by a “temporary transitional administration of a technocratic apolitical Palestinian Committee” made up of Palestinian and international experts. The interim arrangement will be overseen by a Peace Council, chaired by Mr Trump and including “other members and heads of state”, as well as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Peace Council is expected to provide funding for “Gaza reconstruction” until the Palestinian Authority completes a “reform program.”
“The board will support effective management to achieve stability and prosperity!” Ambassador Gor said in his social media remarks on the invitation to India.
I am looking for soldiers for the stabilization force
The United States is expected to work with international partners to create an “interim” International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will soon be deployed in Gaza. The US has negotiated with many countries around the world to have troops in the ISF.
Officials here have claimed that India will not be part of the ISF as it is not a peacekeeping force under the auspices of the United Nations. However, on 9 October 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Trump’s peace plan in a post on X, saying: “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. It is also a reflection of the strong leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu. We hope that the release of the hostages and increased humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza will bring them relief and pave the way.”
For decades, India has argued that the “two-state solution”, ensuring the creation of a Palestinian state to exist side by side with Israel, is the way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since the last round of the conflict on October 7, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also repeated the two-state solution several times.
Published – 18 Jan 2026 22:37 IST
