WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his recently established Board of Peace has secured $5 billion in commitments for reconstructing Gaza following years of devastating warfare, along with promises of thousands of international personnel for peacekeeping operations in the region.
Trump revealed that these financial commitments will be officially disclosed during the board’s inaugural gathering scheduled for Thursday in Washington.
“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump declared through a social media post while revealing the pledges.
The president did not specify which countries were providing the reconstruction funding or contributing personnel to peacekeeping efforts. However, Indonesia’s military announced Sunday that as many as 8,000 of their forces could be prepared by late June for possible Gaza deployment as part of humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. This represents the first concrete commitment Trump’s administration has secured.
Reconstructing the Palestinian region presents enormous challenges. International organizations including the United Nations, World Bank, and European Union project that fully rebuilding Gaza will require $70 billion. The territory suffered extensive damage during more than two years of Israeli military operations, with virtually no area remaining untouched.
The current ceasefire agreement requires establishing an international armed peacekeeping presence to maintain security and ensure Hamas militants are disarmed, which Israel considers essential. However, limited numbers of nations have shown willingness to participate in such a force.
The October 10 ceasefire agreement, facilitated by the United States, sought to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas that lasted over two years. Although major combat operations have decreased, Israeli military forces continue conducting air attacks and regularly engage Palestinians approaching military-controlled areas.
Attendance numbers for Thursday’s initial meeting remain uncertain, with the Board of Peace comprising more than 20 member nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House recently, is not anticipated to attend.
Originally conceived as a mechanism to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, Trump’s board has expanded with broader goals of addressing international crises worldwide. The initiative appears to represent another attempt by the Trump administration to bypass United Nations processes while reshaping global diplomatic structures established after World War II.
Several key American allies in Europe and other regions have chosen not to participate, viewing the board as a potential challenge to the UN Security Council’s authority.
Trump also verified that Thursday’s session will occur at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which the State Department renamed the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace in December.
The facility remains embroiled in legal disputes filed by former staff members and leadership of the nonprofit organization after the Republican administration took control of the building last year and terminated nearly all institute employees.
