(Washington, D.C., January 14, 2026) — In response to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's announcement launching Phase Two of Trump's 20-Point Plan for Gaza, DAWN issued the following statement:
"We welcome any step that brings relief to Gaza's devastated population, but the absence of any mention of further Israeli withdrawal beyond the so-called Yellow Line does not inspire confidence," said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's executive director. "Phase Two will be meaningless if the United States does not demand and enforce a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as envisioned in the 20-point plan, and that it hand over and open Gaza's borders for Palestinians to return home."
"The 20-point plan required Israel to progressively hand over security control of Gaza to an international force, a key component of any territorial withdrawal under the plan," said Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, Israel-Palestine director at DAWN. "With the failure to assemble a stabilization force, the omission of any mention of withdrawal from the Phase Two announcement reads like an attempt at gaslighting the world into forgetting that an actual ceasefire requires Israeli troops to leave Gaza."
"The Trump administration cannot credibly announce Phase Two while ignoring Israel's systematic refusal to meet Phase One's most basic requirements, namely suspending the bombardment of Gaza and restoring aid to the levels required in the January 2025 agreement," said Charles Blaha, senior advisor at DAWN and former State Department official. "On the contrary Israel continues to block aid delivery to Gaza which is a blatant violation of the terms of the agreement. Pursuant to Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, the administration should suspend security assistance and arms to Israel until humanitarian assistance reaches the agreed-upon levels."
"The 20-Point Plan commits to full humanitarian access and reconstruction, something that cannot happen as long as Israeli troops occupy half of Gaza," said Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director. "Before celebrating Phase Two, the administration should answer a simple question: how can Palestinians in Gaza rebuild their lives when Israel has blocked aid, banned humanitarian workers, and kept the Rafah crossing closed since May 2024?"
Background:
Despite claims of "historic" humanitarian aid delivery, independent UN monitoring shows Israel has delivered only 17-43% of the agreed 600 trucks per day during Phase One. Since the October 10 ceasefire began, Israeli forces have killed over 440 Palestinians, attacked Gaza on 80 of the first 95 days, suspended 37 humanitarian organizations from operating, and demolished at least 2,400 buildings. The Gaza Government Media Office has documented 1,193 Israeli violations, including shootings at civilians, bombings, and property demolitions. Importantly, the 20-point plan stated that "the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza."
