UPDATED 10:13 A.M.
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday that $7 billion has been contributed to a Gaza reconstruction fund that aims to rebuild the enclave once Hamas disarms, an objective that is far from becoming a reality.
The disarmament of Hamas militants and accompanying withdrawal of Israeli troops, the size of the reconstruction fund and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead.
In a flurry of announcements at the end of a long, winding speech, Trump said the United States will make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace. He said contributing nations had raised $7 billion as an initial down payment for Gaza reconstruction.
Trump first proposed the board last September when he announced his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza. He later made clear the board’s remit would be expanded beyond Gaza to tackle other conflicts worldwide.
Trump also said FIFA will raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza and that the United Nations will chip in $2 billion for humanitarian assistance.
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The Board of Peace includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the U.N.’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
“We’re going to strengthen the United Nations,” Trump said, trying to assuage his critics. “It’s really very important.”
The meeting came as Trump threatens war against Iran and has embarked on a massive military buildup in the region in case Tehran refuses to give up its nuclear program.
Trump said he should know in 10 days whether a deal is possible. “We have to have a meaningful deal,” he said.
The event had the feel of a Trump campaign rally, with music blaring from his eclectic playlist from Elvis Presley to the Beach Boys. Red Trump hats were given to participants.
Senior U.S. officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza when it eventually deploys.
Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.
Trump said he hoped use of force to disarm Hamas would not be necessary. He said Hamas had promised to disarm and it “looks like they’re going to be doing that, but we’ll have to find out.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Israel that Hamas will be disarmed one way or the other. “Very soon, Hamas will face a dilemma – to disarm peacefully or disarmed forcefully,” he said.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said any international force must “monitor the ceasefire and prevent the (Israeli) occupation from continuing its aggression”. Disarmament could be discussed, he said, without directly committing to it.
Hamas, which has resumed administration of the ruined enclave, says it is ready to hand over to a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats led by Ali Shaath but that Israel has not allowed the group into Gaza. Israel has yet to comment on those assertions.
(Reporting By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis, Samia Nakhoul, and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Don Durfee, Lincoln Feast, Philippa Fletcher)
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By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Samia Nakhoul
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will preside over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday with unresolved questions on the future of Gaza hanging over an event expected to include representatives from more than 45 nations.
The disarmament of Hamas militants and accompanying withdrawal of Israeli troops, the size of the reconstruction fund and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead.
Trump is to address the group at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace – a building in Washington the president recently renamed for himself – and announce that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund.
The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is expected to be $1.2 billion each from two of Washington’s Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a U.S. official told Reuters.
HAMAS IS WARY OF DISARMAMENT
Trump’s Board of Peace includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the U.N.’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Senior U.S. officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza when it eventually deploys.
The Palestinian group Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.
“We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” a senior administration official said.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said any international force must “monitor the ceasefire and prevent the (Israeli) occupation from continuing its aggression”. Disarmament could be discussed, he said, without directly committing to it.
Hamas, which has resumed administration of the ruined enclave, says it is ready to hand over to a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats led by Ali Shaath but that Israel has not allowed them into Gaza. Israel has yet to comment on those assertions.
MOST SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT ATTENDING
Shaath is expected to attend the Washington event alongside what U.S. officials say will be delegations from 47 countries, including Israel, and the European Union. Permanent U.N. Security Council members like France, Britain, Russia and China are not among them.
Speakers are expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role in the board, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees.
A member of the peace board, who declined to be named, said the Gaza plan faces formidable obstacles. Establishing security in the enclave is a precondition for progress in other areas, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained, said the official.
The official added that a key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas. The peace board’s representatives could do so with countries that have influence over Hamas – notably Qatar and Turkey – but Israel is deeply skeptical of both.
Another major issue is the flow of aid, which the official described as “disastrous” and in urgent need of scaling up. Even if aid surges in, it remains unclear who will distribute it, the official said.
Palestinians struggling to survive in a territory largely turned into wasteland during the two-year war, urged Trump to immediately begin rebuilding.
“We have destruction in hospitals, in health, in education, in infrastructure, in electricity, in water, in housing, in the environment. So we hope for very fast reconstruction,” said Atef Abu Al-Anein, a displaced man from Rafah, which is currently under full Israeli control.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for continued violence. The Gaza health ministry says Israeli fire has killed over 600 people since October, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.
“We are hopeful that President Donald Trump will correct this situation, will compel Israel to respect the ceasefire, and that the war will be over for real, not just in words,” Gaza businessman, Tamer Al-Burai, told Reuters by phone.
The conflict began when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent air and ground assault has killed more than 72,000 Gazans, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
(Reporting By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis, Samia Nakhoul, and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Don Durfee, Lincoln Feast, Philippa Fletcher)
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