The United Arab Emirates has pledged over $1 billion to President Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza’s postwar future, according to two officials briefed on the board’s fund-raising efforts.
The United States has also committed more than $1 billion to the board’s projects in Gaza, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the pledges.
The total figure is a small fraction of the funding needed for Gaza. Yet it shows that the Emirates was interested in supporting the work of the new international body, even as several American allies have viewed it with skepticism.
It has been one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the start of the war, which began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In recent months, the Emirates has also been laying the groundwork for temporary housing for Palestinians in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that was decimated during the war, according to four people who have seen plans.
No country has yet publicly committed funds for the Board of Peace’s efforts in Gaza. An announcement could come at the group’s inaugural meeting on Feb. 19 in Washington.
By being one of the first to pledge such a sum, the Emirates is also likely to be currying favor with the Trump administration. The Board of Peace’s founding charter says that member states that contribute more than $1 billion to the group within its first year will be granted permanent membership.
.The two officials said that a large proportion of the commitments had been earmarked for humanitarian projects in the territory and an international stabilization force to be deployed there, and that the board was pressing for more pledges.
They also said Kuwait was in discussions with the board about contributing. An official at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the country had yet to make a decision.
The Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement that the country “remains committed to scaling up its humanitarian efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza and to advancing a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.” It said it would do that in part through its membership on the Board of Peace.
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The temporary housing it is laying the groundwork for in Rafah could accommodate around 20,000 people, according to the four people who have seen plans of the project and spoke on the condition of anonymity to share the details. The land designated for the project is expected to be cleared of rubble and explosives in the coming weeks, two of the people said.
It remains unclear whether Israel will allow any major rebuilding to take place in Gaza before Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in the territory agree to begin the process of demilitarization. Hamas has not publicly committed to laying down its weapons.
A joint report published in February 2025 by the World Bank, European Union and the United Nations said that more than $50 billion was needed for Gaza’s “total recovery and reconstruction.”
The Board of Peace “will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza,” according to Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan, which was announced in September and paved the way for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
More than 20 countries have joined the board, and Mr. Trump will serve as its chairman.
The group’s charter, which was signed last month, has divided U.S. allies. Some analysts say the president is trying to establish a rival to the United Nations, with him in charge.
A number of European countries have expressed reservations about its mandate, as it extends to conflicts beyond Gaza. On Wednesday, Poland and Italy said they would not join the organization at this time.
There is no guarantee that the pledges will materialize. In 2014, in the aftermath of a previous war between Israel and Hamas, countries committed money at a Gaza reconstruction conference, but Palestinian officials later said that some had failed to follow through on their promises.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details, said that all the initial pledges would be directed to humanitarian assistance and other efforts to stabilize the territory. The person added that the Trump administration was expecting other pledges, without offering details.
A United Nations assessment published in October found that more than 80 percent of Gaza’s structures had been damaged or destroyed after two years of war.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, details of the reconstruction plan were presented by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and a senior official on the board. The plan included the creation of a new city near Rafah.
Dennis Ross, a former U.S. envoy to the Middle East, said the pledges signaled “a level of credibility and seriousness with which the board may be taken,” saying it can only “succeed if it has resources.”
Ismaeel Naar contributed reporting from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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