Washington (Diplomat.so) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that nine nations have pledged $7 billion for Gaza's reconstruction and five countries have agreed to deploy troops to a new international stabilization force — a move he cast as a milestone in efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire. Yet the plan's success remains uncertain as diplomatic tensions persist over how to achieve the full disarmament of Hamas, a central requirement of the agreement.
During the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, Trump said Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania will contribute troops, while Egypt and Jordan will train police personnel. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, newly appointed commander of the stabilization force, said the mission is planning for 12,000 police officers and 20,000 soldiers, beginning with a deployment to the heavily damaged city of Rafah.
Funding commitments — from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait — represent a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza after two years of war. Trump also pledged $10 billion in U.S. support but did not specify how the funds would be allocated or when Congress would be asked to authorize the spending.
The board’s expanding mission has drawn international scrutiny. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said global crisis management "should above all be the responsibility of the United Nations,” while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot argued that the European Commission should not have attended the meeting without a formal mandate.
Although several leaders, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, praised Trump’s initiative, diplomats noted that Hamas has yet to demonstrate willingness to disarm. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Thursday that reconstruction "will not begin” until demilitarization is verified.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that "there’s a long ways to go,” emphasizing the need for sustained international cooperation.
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