Trump says 'Board of Peace' members pledged $5bn for Gaza reconstruction
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that members of the so-called “Board of Peace” initiative had pledged $5bn to help rebuild the Gaza Strip and would deploy thousands of personnel to international stabilisation and policing missions in the territory.
“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honour to serve as its Chairman,” Trump said in a social media post announcing the pledges.
He added that the pledges would be formally confirmed during the board’s first meeting on Thursday in Washington, DC.
The Board of Peace was created as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which aimed to end a two-year genocide in which Israel killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the strip's infrastructure.
The pledges will be officially declared during the first meeting of the board on Thursday in Washington, DC, Trump said.
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The board's charter grants Trump wide-ranging powers as chair, allowing him to appoint and remove member states - a decision that can only be overturned by a two-thirds majority.
The pledge announcement came as European leaders criticised “Board of Peace” for bypassing the UN mandate that supported its creation, by changing its remit from Gaza to a wider international role.
At the Munich Security Conference, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, criticised Trump’s body for making no reference to Gaza or the UN.
She added that the original resolution stipulated that the board would be “limited in time”, that it provided for Palestinian input, and that it explicitly referred to Gaza.
Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, and US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also criticised the initiative.
Indonesia readies troops for Gaza mission
It remains unclear which member states will announce pledges or support the stabilisation force.
So far, Indonesia is the only country to announce that it was preparing 8,000 non-combat troops for a potential deployment to Gaza.
Besides Indonesia, the board includes 18 other states, including nearly all major Middle Eastern countries as members, such as Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan have also signed up to the board.
Meanwhile, Italy said it will participate in the White House initiative as an observer, as constitutional constraints prevent the country from formally joining the body, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed on Sunday.
According to the United Nations, the World Bank and European Union estimate that reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will cost $70bn after relentless Israeli bombing of the territory since October 2023.
Israeli attacks have ruined around 80 per cent of all structures and housing units in Gaza, according to the UN.
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