Challenges in Implementing the Gaza Reconstruction Plan
Jared Kushner succinctly encapsulates the prevailing sentiment regarding Gaza's future: "Change is like paradise; everyone wants to get there, but no one wants to die." This stark observation highlights the universal appeal for a brighter future for Gaza, yet underscores the lack of actionable reforms in financial support and aid distribution necessary to fundamentally alter the fate of the coastal enclave. Although Kushner does not explicitly mention it, the proposed reforms appear aimed at marginalizing, if not entirely excluding, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which Israel accuses of having ties to Hamas—a claim that is consistently denied by the agency itself. According to Euronews, Kushner, in his capacity as an informal advisor to former President Donald Trump, has pushed for a "new approach" to Gaza's reconstruction during a private video conference with Arab and European ministers, organized by EU Commissioner Dubravka Šuica.
Kushner has dismissed previous aid efforts for Gaza, characterizing them as "step-by-step designed by NGOs and terrorists," despite the fact that the EU—whose representatives were present during his remarks—is the largest donor to UNRWA. He has drawn direct connections between the current humanitarian aid system and the indirect financing of Hamas, warning that the reconstruction of Gaza is doomed to fail unless militant groups are disarmed. The phrase "reconstruction of Gaza" was meant to encapsulate the developments of the Board of Peace, an international body established and led by the United States to foster and guarantee "stability, governance, and lasting peace" in the region. However, since Donald Trump signed the charter of the Board on January 22, 2026, tangible progress has been virtually nonexistent.
Stalled Financial Commitments and Security Concerns
The only plenary session of the Board occurred on February 19 in Washington, where Trump, who presides over the Board, promised a $10 billion commitment. He stated that an additional $7 billion would come from nine countries: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait, claiming, "I believe there has never been anything more powerful and prestigious." Fast forward five months, the Board of Peace—of which Italy participates as an observer—has devolved into little more than a statement of intent. The official fund meant to manage its finances, known as the Gaza Reconstruction and Development Financial Intermediary Fund, is reportedly completely empty, as reported by the Financial Times. While Morocco and the UAE have contributed $23 million, it has been directed to a private account at JPMorgan Chase, as explained by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a congressional hearing. Furthermore, although Reuters recently reported a financing figure of one billion dollars, there has been no official confirmation to date. The European Commission also launched the "Team Gaza Initiative" on July 13, aimed at approximately 900 million euros for various needs such as water, debris removal, and healthcare; however, no funds have been disbursed as of now.
This financial impasse is largely attributed to the security vacuum in Gaza. The absence of security is not solely due to Hamas's refusal to disarm, despite its weakened state, but also stems from the lack of resources allocated for an international stabilization force intended to create security conditions and train Palestinian police forces. This situation is one of the 20 stipulations in Trump's post-war plan. The President had announced a troop deployment of 20,000 personnel, yet identifying even a sufficient number of qualified officers has proven to be a significant challenge; some sources indicate that even fewer than twenty have recently arrived from Morocco and Kosovo.
What their role entails further confirms that the outcomes of the Board of Peace are falling drastically short of lofty promises. Their primary task is to safeguard a small pilot project in the southern Gaza Strip. Instead of the opulent resorts and skyscrapers envisioned by Trump for a "Gaza Riviera," the current objective has been drastically reduced to constructing a temporary camp—essentially a pilot zone near the city of Rafah for a fraction of the two million displaced residents of Gaza. A diplomat in Jerusalem, as reported by The Guardian, expressed that acknowledging the failure of the Board of Peace could open the floodgates for extreme factions within the Israeli government. Therefore, the aim seems to be to "keep the ball in play, to let something continue to exist"—even if that "something" is far from substantial.
As reported by fr.de.
