Web Desk: US President Donald Trump to open the first session of his newly created Gaza Board of Peace on Thursday, bringing representatives from 45 countries and the European Union to Washington to chart a post-war path for Gaza, even as several major powers stayed away and critics questioned the initiative’s mandate.
The meeting is to be held at the Donald J. Trump Institute for Peace, marks the formal rollout of Trump’s 20-point Gaza strategy first outlined during the World Economic Forum in Davos last month.
According to U.S. officials, delegations included Israel and countries spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America among them Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey, Italy (as an observer), Hungary, Argentina, Albania and Kuwait, as well as the United Arab Emirates.
However, key permanent members of the United Nations Security Council France, Britain, Russia and China did not attend. Spain declined to join, and the Vatican confirmed it would not participate. Canada’s invitation was withdrawn. The absences underscored unease among some US allies who fear the board could duplicate or weaken the United Nations’ diplomatic role.
Trump earlier said that participating nations had pledged more than $5 billion toward Gaza’s reconstruction and humanitarian relief. US officials said the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait each committed about $1.2 billion, forming the backbone of the initial fund.
Trump described the amount as an initial installment toward what will require tens of billions of dollars in long-term rebuilding costs.
He also announced that several countries are preparing to deploy thousands of personnel to an International Stabilisation Force intended to support security during a transitional phase in Gaza. Indonesia has publicly indicated it is prepared to contribute up to 1,000 troops.
Nevertheless, any deployment remains contingent on security conditions and could take weeks or months to materialise.
The proposed disarmament of Hamas is also to be discussed, which Washington has tied directly to reconstruction progress. Trump reiterated that “full and immediate demilitarisation” of the group is a prerequisite for durable stability.
Hamas, which is not represented on the board, has signaled reluctance to surrender its weapons without firm security guarantees, particularly given fears of renewed Israeli military action. Mediators including Qatar and Egypt continue parallel contacts with the group.
A senior US official acknowledged the demilitarisation question remains one of the most difficult obstacles facing the initiative.
Beyond security, participants are expected to discuss scaling up humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s population, which has endured severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
However, questions persist over who would manage distribution on the ground and how a transitional governance structure would function in the absence of Palestinian representation on the board. The charter of the Board of Peace does not explicitly reference Palestinian political participation, a point that has drawn criticism from some diplomats.
Among Palestinians, reaction to the board has been mixed to hostile. Some residents expressed hope that reconstruction funds could ease daily hardship, while others voiced skepticism about a process that excludes Palestinian officials and conditions rebuilding on Hamas’s disarmament.
Critics argue the initiative sidelines established multilateral mechanisms and risks politicizing humanitarian relief. Former UN officials and international analysts have questioned whether the board can operate effectively without broad global backing or direct Palestinian input.
Trump, for his part, has defended the effort as a practical alternative to what he called years of diplomatic stagnation. He has suggested the board could eventually address other global conflicts, reinforcing perceptions that it may serve as a parallel forum to the United Nations.
As the inaugural session concludes, attention will shift to whether financial pledges translate into concrete projects and whether member states formalise troop contributions.
Much will depend on progress toward a more stable ceasefire and movement on the contentious issue of Hamas’s weapons. Without those breakthroughs, diplomats say, the ambitious promises unveiled in Washington may struggle to gain traction on the ground in Gaza.
Read more: Tilt towards India and Israel,civil war breaks within Afghan Taliban
