Trump announces $10B US pledge, $7B international pledge for Gaza reconstruction efforts

Representatives from more than 40 countries convened Feb. 19 in Washington for the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, where President Donald Trump announced a $10 billion U.S. pledge, $7 billion in international commitments, and plans for an international stabilization force in Gaza. 

The meeting came as part of the second phase of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and a long-term reconstruction effort in Gaza, which has been devastated by more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. 

According to AP News, rebuilding Gaza will cost an estimated $70 billion. Church leaders and residents in the region have repeatedly described Gaza’s widespread destruction and urgent humanitarian needs. In February, Caritas Jerusalem Secretary General Anton Asfar said that neighborhoods in Gaza have been “swept away, homes damaged, and infrastructure completely destroyed.”

Speaking to attendees, Trump described the $10 billion U.S. contribution as a “very small number” compared with “the cost of war.” He identified Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait as contributors to the $7 billion international relief package. FIFA plans to raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza, Trump added, and the United Nations has pledged $2 billion in humanitarian aid.

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Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, said the pledged funds would be allocated through a dedicated account called the Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund, which the World Bank will house. 

“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of a new and harmonious [region],” Trump said in thanking donors. He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”

International Stabilization Force established

Trump also said several countries have committed to sending thousands of troops and personnel as part of a newly established International Stabilization Force. The force is tasked with maintaining peace in Gaza and overseeing Hamas’ disarmament, a central component of the peace framework. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced during the meeting that his country would contribute up to 8,000 troops to the force “to make this peace work.”

Reuters reported that the force, which a U.S. general will lead with an Indonesian deputy, would begin operating in areas currently controlled by Israel if Hamas does not disarm. The force is expected to deploy first in the Israeli-controlled city of Rafah and train a new Palestinian police force, with a goal of preparing 12,000 officers. Eventually, up to 20,000 International Stabilization Force troops will deploy.

Reconstruction framework 

The Board of Peace — launched in January as part of the peace framework — is designed to oversee demilitarization, postwar governance, and long-term reconstruction in Gaza. Trump chairs the board.

The Trump administration’s reconstruction vision for the region includes plans for an airport, data centers, workforce housing, and coastal tourism development, Zeale News reported in January. The framework also establishes a Palestinian technocratic governing body to manage day-to-day administration in Gaza. 

Trump advisor Jared Kushner said in January that reconstruction could be completed within two to three years but cautioned that progress is contingent on Hamas’ full demilitarization. 

Lingering reconstruction challenges

The peace framework signed in October remains fragile, and reconstruction efforts face significant obstacles. Since the agreement took effect, Israel and Hamas have traded repeated accusations of ceasefire violations, and hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli airstrikes, Zeale News previously reported. 

Hamas’ disarmament is central to the framework and a core demand of Israel. According to The Times of Israel, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Feb. 16 that Israel plans to give Hamas 60 days to surrender its weapons. If Hamas refuses, the outlet reported, the Israeli military will go back to war in Gaza. 

Trump told the gathering that Hamas had promised it would disarm and said “it looks like” the group intends to follow through. He warned that Hamas would be met “very harshly” if it fails to do so. 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also spoke at the Feb. 19 meeting, acknowledged that there is a “long ways to go” in Gaza and said there “is no plan B” for the region. 

“We have to get this right,” he said. 

Later in his remarks, Rubio added, “Plan A, the only path forward, is one that rebuilds Gaza in a way of enduring and sustainable peace, where everyone can live there side by side with one another and never worry again about returning to conflict, to war, to human suffering, and to destruction.”

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Warnings to Iran 

Trump also used the address to briefly touch on U.S. relations with Iran, a topic that has drawn significant attention in the past few days because the U.S., in recent weeks, has embarked on a large-scale military buildup in the Middle Eastern country. Trump has called on Iran to give up its nuclear programs and negotiate with the U.S. or face possible military action, and, as Zeale News previously reported, Israel has also put its defense on high alert for the possibility of a war with Iran. 

Trump said “good talks are being had” and predicted he would know within 10 days whether a deal between the U.S. and Iran is possible. 

“We have to have a meaningful deal,” he stressed. “Otherwise, bad things happen.”