WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — U.S. President Donald Trump said members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and policing efforts in the territory.
According to Trump, the pledges will be formally announced during the board’s first meeting in Washington on Thursday. In a social media statement, he described the Board of Peace as a potentially significant international body aimed at addressing major global crises beyond the conflict in Gaza.
Trump did not identify which nations are contributing funding or personnel. However, Indonesia’s military said up to 8,000 troops could be ready by the end of June for a possible humanitarian and peace mission in Gaza, marking the first firm commitment from a participating country.
The rebuilding effort is expected to be extensive. Estimates from the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Union place reconstruction costs for Gaza at about $70 billion after more than two years of heavy fighting and widespread destruction.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement calls for an armed international stabilization force to maintain security and oversee the disarmament of the militant group Hamas, a key demand by Israel. So far, only a limited number of countries have expressed willingness to participate.
It remains unclear how many of the board’s more than 20 members will attend the inaugural meeting. Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House last week, is not expected to attend.
Initially viewed as a mechanism to help end the Israel-Hamas war, the Board of Peace appears to be evolving into a broader initiative intended to address global conflicts. Analysts say the move may also reflect a wider U.S. effort to reshape international diplomacy outside existing institutions such as the United Nations Security Council.
Thursday’s meeting will be held at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, a facility currently involved in legal disputes following its takeover by the administration last year and the dismissal of most of its staff.
Although the ceasefire has reduced large-scale fighting, sporadic airstrikes and clashes continue in Gaza, underscoring the challenges facing long-term stabilization and reconstruction efforts.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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