President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is set to hold its long-awaited first meeting on February 19, where it will discuss the next stage of a ceasefire in Gaza and fundraising for the reconstruction of the destroyed territory.
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Trump unveiled his plan for the board at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. Its initial members include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Argentina, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
But many close U.S. allies balked at joining the board, fearing it would undermine the United Nations (U.N.) and amid reports that permanent membership would be granted to member states that contribute $1 billion in cash within the first year.
Read more: Trump Unveils Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ at Davos and Lauds Overseas Accomplishments
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is open to contributing $1 billion to the Board of Peace, but argued it would require the release of Russian assets in the U.S. that were frozen during the Biden Administration.
Trump is set to chair the board, while son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will both serve on an “Executive Board” with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, president of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, national security adviser Robert Gabriel, and Marc Rowan, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, one of the biggest U.S. private equity firms.
Gaza reconstruction
This board’s first meeting will be held at the Institute of Peace and will focus on fundraising for Gaza’s reconstruction, according to Axios, which first reported the news.
The U.N. Security Council has authorized the Board to oversee the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire and work on governance and reconstruction.
The Board will meet as the ceasefire in Gaza appears shakier than ever.
On February 4, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 24 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Associated Press, as Israel claimed it was responding to a militant attack on its soldiers that seriously wounded one.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 550 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire deal brokered by Trump and mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Egypt came into effect on Oct. 10, 2025.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his troops will only fully withdraw from Gaza once Hamas lays down arms.
Netanyahu to meet Trump
Israeli officials say Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on February 18, a day before the planned first meeting, but insist the meeting will focus on Iran.
If Netanyahu does attend the Board of Peace meeting, it will be the first time he has met Arab leaders since before the Oct. 7 attacks and the war in Gaza.
It is unclear who on the board will attend the first meeting, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a campaign event in Szombathely, Hungary, on Saturday that he would be there.
It comes at a time when Trump’s relationship with European allies is shaky after months of threats to annex Greenland, but Orban is one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent.
Orban, who has led Hungary for 14 years, shares Trump’s hardline anti-immigration views.
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