Photo Credit: Getty Images
At the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which many Western allies have avoided due to fears it could replace the UN, President Trump announced that member countries had committed over $7 billion to a Gaza "relief package," a move intended to aid in ending the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The second phase of a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan includes the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.
It "looks like" Hamas would disarm, Trump told participants. However, there are few signs of the Palestinian group disarming. Gazans say it is extending its control over the Strip.
Speaking as the Board of Peace convened on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had "agreed with our ally the US there will be no reconstruction of Gaza before the demilitarisation of Gaza".
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 72,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's health ministry.
The enclave's economy is in ruins, with its buildings and infrastructure largely destroyed. The UN estimates the cost of damage at $70bn.
Countries including the UK, Canada, France and Germany have refused to join the Board of Peace that came into being last month.
In an effort to address concerns that the organisation was meant as a way of sidelining the UN, Trump told the board's first meeting in Washington that "we're going to be working with the United Nations very closely, we're going to bring them back".
Gaza, the US president said, was "no longer a hotbed of radicalism and terror".
"And to end that, we have today, and I'm pleased to announce that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait have all contributed more than $7bn toward the relief package".
"Every dollar spent is an investment in stability," he said, adding that the UN would contribute $2bn for humanitarian assistance, while football body Fifa would raise $75m for soccer-related projects in the Strip.
