President Donald Trump will convene his new Board of Peace in Washington, with major questions on Gaza’s future, Hamas disarmament, and aid distribution still pending.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will preside over the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday. The event, expected to include representatives from over 45 nations, will be overshadowed by unresolved critical issues regarding Gaza’s future.
Key questions include the disarmament of Hamas militants, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered population. Trump is to address the group at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington.
He will announce that participating nations have raised USD 5 billion for a Gaza reconstruction fund. A U.S. official stated this includes USD 1.2 billion each from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund likely needing many more billions. Senior U.S. officials said Trump will also announce plans by several nations to send thousands of troops for an International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
The board includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives, stirring anxiety it could undermine the U.N.’s role. Hamas has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October.
“We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” a senior administration official said. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said any international force must “monitor the ceasefire and prevent the (Israeli) occupation from continuing its aggression”.
He added disarmament could be discussed without directly committing to it. Hamas says it is ready to hand over to a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats led by Ali Shaath, who is expected to attend the Washington event.
Permanent U.N. Security Council members France, Britain, Russia, and China are not among the 47 delegations attending. A member of the peace board said establishing security in Gaza is a precondition for progress, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained.
A key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas, as Israel is deeply skeptical of Qatar and Turkey, which have influence over the group. Another major issue is the “disastrous” flow of aid, which urgently needs scaling up, with distribution mechanisms unclear.
Palestinians in Gaza urged Trump to immediately begin rebuilding. “We have destruction in hospitals, in health, in education, in infrastructure, in electricity, in water, in housing, in the environment. So we hope for very fast reconstruction,” said displaced man Atef Abu Al-Anein.
The Gaza health ministry says Israeli fire has killed over 600 people since October, while Israel says four soldiers have been killed by militants. “We are hopeful that President Donald Trump will correct this situation, will compel Israel to respect the ceasefire, and that the war will be over for real, not just in words,” said Gaza businessman Tamer Al-Burai.
The Sun Malaysia
