Trump says Board of Peace to pledge US$5 billion for Gaza at 19 February meeting

UNITED STATES: US President Donald Trump said member states of the newly formed Board of Peace will announce a pledge exceeding US$5 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza at a meeting on 19 February 2026.

In a post on Truth Social on 15 February 2026, Trump said participating countries had also committed thousands of personnel to support a United Nations-authorised stabilisation force and local police in the Palestinian enclave.

“Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarisation,” Trump wrote ahead of the board’s first official gathering in Washington.

Disarmament forms a central pillar of the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire plan agreed in October 2025 between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending the war triggered by the group’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

The United Nations endorsed the plan in November 2025. The second phase provides for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and deployment of an international stabilisation force to maintain security.

Hamas has repeatedly described disarmament as a red line. However, it has indicated it could consider transferring its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority under certain conditions.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire since it took effect in October 2025. The truce formally followed months of negotiations mediated by the United States and regional actors.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the territory since the ceasefire began. Israel has said four of its soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants during the same period.

Citing the same ministry, the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023 has risen to 72,061, with 171,715 people wounded.

The Board of Peace meeting on 19 February will be held at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace, recently renamed by the US State Department in honour of the president. Delegations from more than 20 countries, including heads of state, are expected to attend.

Regional powers such as Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel have joined the initiative, alongside emerging nations including Indonesia. However, several global powers and traditional Western allies have adopted a more cautious stance.

Permanent members of the board are required to contribute US$1 billion to secure membership. The requirement has prompted criticism that the body risks becoming a “pay-to-play” alternative to the UN Security Council.

Trump first announced the creation of the Board of Peace during the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026.

He described it as a mechanism to accelerate post-conflict stabilisation and reconstruction in Gaza.

Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join the board. 

The board’s establishment was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of the broader US-led framework to end the war in Gaza.

Under the ceasefire agreement, the first phase focused on halting hostilities and facilitating humanitarian aid.

The second phase, now under discussion, centres on governance, security arrangements and long-term reconstruction.