Trump's Board of Peace unveils $2.45bn Gaza recovery plan

What Happened

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump's Board of Peace announced a $2.45bn Gaza recovery plan, to be spread across 66 programmes over six months, targeting housing, diesel generation, and waste removal. The board said $18bn has been pledged but only $280m handed over so far, and estimated full recovery and reconstruction will require about $71.4bn over the next decade. Jared Kushner, Gaza Executive Board member and Trump's son-in-law, conceded the project faced 'different delays on different things' but said the goal was to show commitment. US envoy Steve Witkoff claimed 'all of the hostages are home,' a ceasefire exists 'imperfect as it may be,' and humanitarian efforts achieved historic results. The plan faces challenges including security for operators in Gaza, internal governance overhaul, and consensus between Israeli and Palestinian officials. At least 1,381 Palestinians, including 300 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable. The Israeli military says five soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire and one contractor died in an 'operational accident.'

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The announcement signals a US-led attempt to shape post-war Gaza reconstruction and governance, but the huge gap between $18bn pledged and only $280m delivered underscores the fragility of international financing. The plan operates amid a ceasefire that has seen continued Israeli strikes and Palestinian casualties, and faces unresolved issues of security, unexploded ordnance, tunnel destruction, and political consensus. The Board of Peace's expansion to conflicts worldwide indicates it may become a recurring US diplomatic instrument beyond Gaza.

Watch For

Concrete next events include disbursement of the $18bn pledged versus the $280m actually handed over, security arrangements for operators in Gaza including unexploded ordnance removal and tunnel destruction, consensus-building between Israeli and Palestinian officials on governance, and whether the ceasefire holds given Nickolay Mladenov's warning that its collapse would be 'a point of no return.' Also monitor updated casualty figures from the Gaza Health Ministry and Israeli military, and any new country pledges announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.