What happened to the Gaza Board of Peace?

 It has almost been 7 months since President Donald Trump, in January 2026, announced the establishment of the Board of Peace to govern the post-war Gaza, oversee the construction of the devastated region, and establish an international force to monitor the ceasefire. Alas, nothing has emerged in the public domain about its progress or the actions on the ground. Today, the board seems to have been buried in the mounds of ongoing multi-front wars in the region and all the buzz around it seems to have been overshadowed by the diplomacy around Iran-US and Israel-Lebanon wars. Since the adoption of the charter during the Davos meeting on 22^nd January 2026, only two meetings have been held.

President Trump announced this board through Executive Order 14375, and the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 also approved it. As per the charter, the board would have other sections such as the National Committee for Gaza Administration, the Gaza Executive Council, and the International Stabilisation Force.

During the first meeting of the board, Trump had stated that the board would have the same legal status as the UN and the charter also stipulated then that the board would have a 3-year term for membership, and those keen to enjoy the lifetime association would contribute $1 billion to the board’s coffers. The Board of Peace, according to its charter, is required to report to the UN twice a year, and its mandate will end by 2027.

The first meeting of the board took place in February 2026, which was attended by 47 countries and reportedly, 26 countries signed the charter.

Many of the United States’ traditional allies in Europe, such as France, Norway, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom, refused to be part of the initiative, fearing that the board aims to replace the UN, and they were not sure of its mandate and the mechanism of its functioning. China and Russia also refused to join the board.

Addressing the first meeting of the board, President Trump stated that FIFA had committed to contribute $7 million to encourage the soccer-related activities in Gaza, while the United States itself pledged $10 billion. He also informed the audience that the UN would contribute $2 billion for humanitarian assistance. Russia, on its part, pledged to give $1 billion, but that amount would come from its frozen assets in the European banks. While the Gulf states pledged a total amount worth $7 billion, and the World Bank also promised economic assistance.

The board continues to be criticised since its creation for the many ambiguities surrounding it, like its overall mandate, its objectives, and the absence of any timeline for handing over power to the Palestinian body. Some expressed their opposition over Trump’s declaring himself a lifetime CEO, and others showed their disapproval of not having any Palestinian on the board while it has accommodated Israel as one of its members.

The board has met only twice since its inception in January, while nothing has changed in Gaza and the ceasefire has failed to stop the killing. The second meeting of the board was scheduled to take place in Cyprus between 30^th June and 1^st July but nothing was heard about it.

US Secretary of State, Mark Rubio, in his latest briefing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that the State Department has decided to rename the Board of Peace as the ‘International Non-Governmental Organisation’. This decision perhaps seems to have been taken to evade congressional financial oversight of the board. Rubio also said that the United States had pledged $10 billion, but so far, no money has been transferred to the board. A Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund was created to receive the promised funds, but the coffer is lying empty, as informed by Rubio. While the UAE and Morocco have fulfilled their commitment partially by contributing $23 million, that amount has not been delivered to the Gaza Fund but transferred instead to a private account of J P Morgan Chase.

Palestinians continue to suffer despite 9 months having passed since the ceasefire and 7 months since the establishment of the board, which promised not only to end the war but also to help with reconstruction and work towards establishing peace. In the second week of July, Hamas dissolved its government to enable the international agency to take over the governance of Gaza as stipulated in the charter; the news received no significant coverage in the global media.

In a recent UN meeting, Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to the UN, stated that the new Gaza under the Board of Peace does not need United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) and added that one of the board’s objectives is to end the dependence of the people of Gaza on aid, as they deserve more than just aid. Many contributors to the fund argue that the delay is due to ongoing instability in Gaza, which prevents the commencement of the construction work.

In the given circumstances, the Board of Peace is likely to suffer the same fate as the coalitions and alliances that were formed in recent years in the region. It is unknown who will replace Trump as the board’s CEO after his tenure ends, and it is unclear if Israel will allow the construction work in Gaza, as it has always refused to withdraw from the larger part of the territories in Gaza. One is not sure how such a huge fund would be mobilised and whether the countries that have signed the charter would send their forces to join the International Stabilisation Force. Above all, Israel has the power to veto any proposal coming from the board, and it enjoys full authority to reject any agency tasked with the construction and other related works in Gaza.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.