Several countries that have joined Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace have pledged more than $7bn (£5.2bn) toward a Gaza relief initiative, the US president announced during the group’s first official meeting.
The announcement was made as the board convened in Washington, amid criticism from a number of Western allies who have declined to participate. Those governments have raised concerns that the body—created last month—could be intended to undermine or replace the United Nations’ role in international peacekeeping efforts, particularly in relation to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The funding commitment comes as part of the second phase of a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza, which includes provisions for the disarmament of Hamas and the large-scale reconstruction of the enclave. Trump told attendees that it “looks like” Hamas would agree to disarm, though there has been little concrete evidence to support this claim. Residents in Gaza, meanwhile, say the group is strengthening its grip on the territory and expanding its control over daily governance.
Addressing the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had reached a clear understanding with Washington that no rebuilding efforts would begin until Gaza had been fully demilitarised. “There will be no reconstruction of Gaza before the demilitarisation of Gaza,” he said.
The current conflict began with a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with an extensive military offensive in Gaza. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 72,000 people have since been killed.
Much of Gaza’s infrastructure has been devastated, leaving its economy in collapse. The United Nations estimates that the total cost of damage across the territory stands at $70bn.
Countries such as the UK, Canada, France, and Germany have opted not to join the Board of Peace. In an effort to ease concerns that the initiative was designed to sideline the UN, Trump told the meeting that the organisation would work “very closely” with the United Nations moving forward. “We’re going to bring them back,” he said.
Trump also claimed that Gaza was “no longer a hotbed of radicalism and terror,” as he listed the nations contributing to the relief fund. He said that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait had collectively pledged more than $7bn.
He added that the UN would provide an additional $2bn in humanitarian aid, while football’s global governing body, FIFA, would raise $75m to support sports-related projects in Gaza.
Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician appointed as the board’s high representative for Gaza, said efforts were already underway to form a new transitional Palestinian police force. According to him, around 2,000 applications were submitted within the first few hours of recruitment.
However, these developments come as reports from Gaza suggest that Hamas has re-established visible control over security and administrative functions, including the return of its police and internal security services, despite suffering heavy losses during the conflict.
