Trump’s Board of Peace unveils $2.45bn plan to begin Gaza’s reconstruction
US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has unveiled a $2.45 billion recovery plan for Gaza during a meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The funding is expected to support 66 programmes over a six-month period, covering key needs such as housing, diesel-powered electricity generation and waste removal.
However, the board acknowledged that significant additional funding would be required. Although $18 billion has been pledged, only $280 million has so far been disbursed. It estimates that Gaza’s full recovery and reconstruction will cost approximately $71.4 billion over the next decade.
Jared Kushner, a member of the Gaza Executive Board and Trump’s son-in-law, admitted that the initiative had encountered delays in several areas.
“The goal of today was really just to show you that we’re really fully committed to doing it,” he told board members and stakeholders.
US envoy Steve Witkoff, who also attended the meeting in New York, said the group had made “real progress” over the past year.
He pointed to the return of all hostages, the existence of a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance provided to Gaza, while acknowledging that the truce remained imperfect.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a separate press conference on Wednesday that several countries had pledged financial support, adding that the board was seeking further contributions.
Beyond fundraising, the plan faces major obstacles, including ensuring the safety of personnel working in Gaza, reforming its internal governance and securing agreement between Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Board of Peace member Michael Eisenberg told the BBC’s Newshour programme that unexploded ordnance would need to be cleared and hundreds of kilometres of tunnels beneath Gaza destroyed before reconstruction could proceed fully.
He said these steps would help pave the way for residents to rebuild homes, improve sanitation and address other essential needs.
Former UK prime minister and board member Sir Tony Blair also addressed the meeting, saying the responsibility placed on the board was substantial.
In August, senior board official Nickolay Mladenov criticised Israel’s continued air strikes on Gaza as well as actions by Hamas. He had earlier warned that the collapse of the ceasefire agreed in October could mark a “point of no return” for the region.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 1,381 Palestinians, including 300 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since the US-brokered ceasefire took effect. The United Nations considers the ministry’s figures reliable.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, says five of its soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire began, while a contractor died in what it described as an “operational accident”.
The Board of Peace was established as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, announced alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September last year. The initiative initially focused on Gaza but was later expanded to address conflicts around the world.
Hamas agreed to return the 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and detainees from Gaza. It also accepted the concept of transferring the territory’s administration to Palestinian technocrats.
In July, Hamas said it had accepted a proposal for disarmament in Gaza, provided Israel ended “all forms of aggression” and withdrew its forces. Netanyahu subsequently rejected the proposal, insisting that Israeli troops would remain in Gaza until Hamas was “genuinely” disarmed.
Source: BBC
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