Tony Blair being lined up to lead temporary Gaza administration - reports

Sir Tony Blair is being lined up to lead a temporary administration in the Gaza Strip to oversee reconstruction after the war, according to Israeli media reports.

The former UK prime minister has been proposed to chair a supervisory board called the Gaza International Transitional Authority. The transitional administration would govern Gaza for several years until it can be handed over to the Palestinian Authority, The Times of Israel reported.

The plan would not involve the relocation of Palestinians, something that has been a red line for many in negotiations. However, Sky News' US correspondent Mark Stone said that others have cast doubt on the reports.

Sir Tony attended a meeting with US President Donald Trump and others to discuss the future of the devastated territory in August, and the plan has the backing of the White House. Conversations about the future of Gaza and the West Bank have dominated diplomatic circles in recent weeks, with the UK among nations formally recognising a Palestinian state ahead of this week's meeting of the UN General Assembly.

Read more:Microsoft blocks some services used by Israeli militaryWhy UK's Palestine move matters in the Middle East According to the reports, the proposal also includes plans for an international force to be stationed in the territory to guard its borders and prevent Hamas from re-establishing itself. The plan is being modelled on administrations that oversaw the transition process to statehood for places like Timor-Leste and Kosovo.

Any involvement of Sir Tony is likely to be controversial, however, given his previous involvement in the region with the Iraq War. After resigning as prime minister in 2007, he was appointed as the international community's special envoy to the Middle East with the goal of helping develop the Palestinian economy and institutions in order to prepare the groundwork for a Palestinian state.

However, he struggled to deliver dramatic changes in the role and resigned in 2015..