US-backed Board of Peace unveils US$2.5bn Gaza recovery plan
During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace proposed a US$2.45 billion plan to rebuild Gaza over six months.
Sir Tony Blair, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, watch a presentation during a Board of Peace High Level Briefing on Sep 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo: AFP/Ryan Murphy)
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NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace proposed a US$2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan on Wednesday (Sep 23) at a meeting of its members and stakeholders, in an effort meant to span over six months.
But the presentation in New York comes as world leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan have taken aim at the humanitarian situation in Gaza this week, calling for action to end the conflict with Israel.
Top officials are gathered in the city this week for the UN General Assembly.
Hamas militants launched a deadly attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, triggering a massive response. Since then, the Palestinian territory has been devastated by Israeli airstrikes.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of the Board of Peace, urged for backing of its plan.
But he acknowledged that discussions with Israel are not easy ahead of elections in the country, noting that conditions are “more politically sensitive.”
“Given the complexity of what we’re dealing with, I think we’re making, slowly and steadily, progress,” he insisted.
Also present at Wednesday’s gathering were Trump’s roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The proposal involves 66 projects, covering temporary housing, debris recovery and infrastructure like public transport, amid other efforts towards economic recovery.
The plan also envisions demilitarisation in Gaza, meaning for Hamas to give up its weapons, and military pullback on the Israeli front.
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, Israel has continued its airstrikes and restricted entry of equipment that international groups say is required for the territory’s reconstruction to begin.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said it controls 60 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
Trump is the chairman of the Board of Peace, which was initially designed to oversee a Gaza truce and the territory’s reconstruction following the war between Hamas and Israel.
UN figures show that by October 2025, Israeli strikes had left 84 per cent of all structures damaged or destroyed.
Israel has insisted that it must eliminate threats from Hamas, which led the unprecedented attack.
The board on Wednesday noted that damage across Gaza is estimated at US$35.2 billion, with recovery calling for some US$71.4 billion.
Source: AFP/fs
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