Trump's Board of Peace unveils $2.45bn plan to begin Gaza's reconstruction
The figure was announced during a meeting of the group's board at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Trump's Board of Peace reveals $2.45bn plan to kick-start Gaza reconstruction
US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace has announced a Gaza recovery package worth $2.45 billion (£1.85 billion) at a meeting held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The money will be allocated across 66 programmes over six months, with spending aimed at housing, diesel generation and waste removal, among other priorities.
However, the board said major donations were still required, noting that $18bn had been pledged but only $280 million had been delivered so far. It estimates that complete recovery and reconstruction will cost about $71.4bn over the next decade.
Jared Kushner, a member of the Gaza Executive Board and Trump's son-in-law, acknowledged that the project was encountering "different delays on different things, for whatever reason".
"The goal of today was really just to show you that we're really fully committed to doing it," he told the gathering of board members and stakeholders.
He was joined in New York by US envoy Steve Witkoff, who said the group had made "real progress" over the past year.
"All of the hostages are home. There is a ceasefire, imperfect as it may be, but it still exists. Humanitarian efforts have achieved historic results, with billions of dollars donated and pledged to meet urgent needs and support the long work of recovery," Witkoff added.
Beyond fundraising, the plan still confronts major obstacles, including how to guarantee security for those working in Gaza, reform internal governance and build agreement between Israeli and Palestinian officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a separate press conference on Wednesday that "a number of countries have stepped forward and pledged financial assistance" and that the board was "looking for more that will participate in that".
Former UK prime minister and board member Sir Tony Blair told the meeting: "The responsibility on us is huge"
In August, a senior official on the Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, criticised Israel's continuing air strikes on Gaza, as well as the actions of the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
In August, Mladenov warned that a collapse of last October's ceasefire would be "a point of no return" for the region.
At least 1,381 Palestinians, including 300 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire began, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The Israeli military says five of its soldiers have been killed in combat since the ceasefire and one contractor was killed in an "operational accident".
The Board of Peace was created as part of Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, which he unveiled alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September last year.
Hamas agreed to return all 48 remaining hostages being held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and Gaza detainees, and to the idea of handing over the governance of Gaza to Palestinian technocrats.
In July, Hamas said it had accepted a disarmament plan for Gaza which will see it lay down its arms, provided Israel ends "all forms of aggression" and withdraws its forces from Gaza.
But that was later rejected by Netanyahu, who said the military would stay in Gaza until Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.
The Board of Peace was originally thought to be an international organisation intended to bring peace to Gaza, but later expanded to include conflicts worldwide.