In brief
During a UN General Assembly sideline meeting, the Board of Peace announced a $2.45 billion programme to rebuild Gaza over six months, covering housing, diesel generators and waste removal. Only $280 million of the pledged $18 billion has been delivered, and full reconstruction will cost about $71.4 billion over a decade. Jared Kushner highlighted delays while US envoy Steve Witkoff praised progress and hostage releases. The plan faces security, governance and consensus hurdles that require further international aid.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace announced a $2.45 billion (≈£1.85 bn) programme aimed at rebuilding Gaza over the first six months of a longer recovery effort.
The funding will be split into 66 programmes covering housing, diesel generators and waste removal, with further support earmarked for water and sanitation infrastructure. The board acknowledged that the pledge of $18 bn has only seen $280 m delivered, and that a full ten‑year reconstruction will need about $71.4 bn.
Jared Kushner, the Board’s executive member and Trump’s son‑in‑law, said the project “faces different delays on different things, for whatever reason,” while US envoy Steve Witkoff praised the progress made in the past year and the return of all 48 hostages under the ceasefire agreement.
The plan still faces security hurdles, clashes over internal governance, and the need for consensus between Israeli and Palestinian officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that several countries have pledged aid, and the Board is actively seeking additional partners.
Michael Eisenberg of the Board of Peace outlined the next steps: clearing unexploded ordnance, demolishing tunneled infrastructure, and then enabling the reconstruction of homes, sanitation and other essential services.
The Board was created as part of Trump’s 20‑point Gaza peace plan, which also requested that Hamas return all 48 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the handover of governance to technocrats. The effort has expanded to include other conflicts worldwide.
