Tony Blair in discussions to run transitional Gaza authority

The former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has been involved in discussions about running a transitional authority in Gaza if there is a ceasefire, the BBC understands.

Sir Tony, who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, has been in high-level planning talks with all parties to end the war and on the post-conflict future for the Palestinian territory, it is understood.

At the heart of the latest proposal - discussed by US President Donald Trump and Arab leaders at the UN this week - is the idea of Gaza being run by a transitional body with UN backing and Gulf support, before being handed back to Palestinian control.

One proposal said to have gained support in Washington is for Sir Tony to lead that authority, although his office has said only that he would not support anything that displaced the people of Gaza.

Sir Tony joined a White House meeting with Trump in August to discuss plans for post-war Gaza, which the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff described as "very comprehensive" - though little else was disclosed about the meeting.

The former prime minister served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers (the US, EU, Russia and the UN) for a few years after leaving office in 2007. He focused on bringing economic development to Palestine and creating the conditions for a two state-solution.

As PM, he took the decision to commit British forces to the 2003 Iraq War that was heavily criticised in the official inquiry into the conflict, which found he had acted on flawed intelligence without certainty about the production of weapons of mass destruction there.

Reports of discussions about his involvement in a transitional authority for Gaza come after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that he was ready to work with Trump and other world leaders to implement a two-state peace plan.

Abbas stressed his rejection of a future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and demanded it disarm.

Earlier this week, the UK formally recognised the state of Palestine alongside Canada and Australia. More countries followed this example, including France and Denmark, while Israel and the US criticised the move as a reward for Hamas.

Sir Keir emphasised the diplomatic move means Hamas can have "no future, no role in government, no role in security" and was the "exact opposite of their hateful vision".

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,419 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. A UN commission of inquiry has said Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denies.