• US to contribute $10bn, Gulf states pledge $1bn each
• Indonesia to assume deputy command of proposed stabilisation force
• Guardian reports US planning 5,000-man military base in southern Gaza

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday that nations had contributed $7 billion to a Gaza reconstruction fund, which that aims to rebuild the enclave once Hamas disarms, an objective that is far from becoming a reality.

The disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the size of the reconstruction fund and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the months ahead.

In addition, five countries have committed troops for an international security force for Gaza, the commander of the force said on Thursday during a meeting of President Donald Trump’s newly created ‘Board of Peace’.

In a flurry of announcements at the end of a long, meandering speech to representatives from 47 nations, Trump said the United States will contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace. He did not say where the money would come from or whether he would seek it from the US Congress.

Trump said contributing nations had raised $7 billion as an initial down payment for Gaza reconstruction. Con­tributors included Kazakhstan, Azer­baijan, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait, he said.

Among the pledges, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait have committed to giving $1bn, while the UAE has announced $1.2bn.

The membership is mostly made up of Middle Eastern countries, plus leaders from outside the region who may be looking to gain favour with Trump.

Estimates for rebuilding Gaza, which was reduced to rubble after two years of war, range up to $70 billion.

Bahrain has said it is ready to provide the necessary infrastructure and skills to establish an effective government digital services platform for Gaza, while Uzbekistan said it was ready to help rebuild schools, childcare facilities and hospitals.

Romania has offered to rebuild emergency services, schools and institutions like the police and justice system, while Turkiye has said it can contribute meaningfully to the rehabilitation of the health and education sectors, alongside training for police and troops for the proposed ISF.

Trump also said FIFA will raise $75 million for soccer-related projects in Gaza and that the United Nations will chip in $2 billion for humanitarian assistance.

Stabilisation force

He also said several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilisation Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza when it eventually deploys.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced his country would contribute up to 8,000 troops to the force.

The plan for the force is to begin working in areas Israel controls in the absence of Hamas disarmament. The force, led by a US general with an Indonesian deputy, will start in the Israeli-controlled city of Rafah and train a new police force, eventually aiming to prepare 12,000 police and have 20,000 troops.

“The first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF — Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania. Two countries have committed to train police — Egypt and Jordan,” International Stabilisation Force commander Army Major General Jasper Jeffers said.

Hamas disarmament

Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.

Trump said he hoped the use of force to disarm Hamas would be unnecessary.

He said Hamas had promised to disarm and it “looks like they’re going to be doing that, but we’ll have to find out”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Israel that Hamas will be disarmed one way or the other. “Very soon, Hamas will face a dilemma - to disarm peacefully or disarmed forcefully,” he said.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said any international force must “monitor the ceasefire and prevent the [Israeli] occupation from continuing its aggression”.

Military base

Separately, The Guardian reported on Thursday about US plans to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres.

Citing Board of Peace contracting records, the paper said the site is envisioned as a military operating base for a proposed ISF.

The plans reviewed by The Guardian call for the phased construction of a military outpost that will eventually have a footprint of 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres, ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment for operations. The entire base will be encircled with barbed wire.

The fortification is planned for an arid stretch of flatlands in southern Gaza strewn with saltbush and white broom shrubs.

A source close to the planning told The Guardian that a small group of bidders — international construction companies with experience in war zones — have already been shown the area in a site visit.

It is unclear who owns the land where the military compound is set to be built, but much of the south Gaza area is currently under Israeli control.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026