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Trump Says Board of Peace Pledged Over $5 Billion for Gaza, Urges Hamas to Proceed with Disarmament

Palestinian civil defense teams working to recover the remains of 67 members of the Abu Nasr family from beneath the rubble of their home after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City, 15 February 2026. (EPA)
Palestinian civil defense teams working to recover the remains of 67 members of the Abu Nasr family from beneath the rubble of their home after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City, 15 February 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Board of Peace Pledged Over $5 Billion for Gaza, Urges Hamas to Proceed with Disarmament

Palestinian civil defense teams working to recover the remains of 67 members of the Abu Nasr family from beneath the rubble of their home after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City, 15 February 2026. (EPA)
Palestinian civil defense teams working to recover the remains of 67 members of the Abu Nasr family from beneath the rubble of their home after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City, 15 February 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Hamas to move forward with disarmament under his plan for postwar Gaza, and also stated that the Board of Peace has pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.

"Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, ahead of a February 19 meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace in Washington. 

Trump said members of the board have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory. 

The pledges will be formally announced on Thursday for their first meeting, he said. 

“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump said in a social media posting announcing the pledges. 

He did not detail which member nations were making the pledges for reconstruction or would contribute personnel to the stabilization force. But Indonesia’s military said Sunday that up to 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission. It's the first firm commitment that the Republican president has received. 

Rebuilding the Palestinian territory will be a daunting endeavor. The United Nations, World Bank and European Union estimate that reconstruction of the territory will cost $70 billion. Few places in the Gaza Strip were left unscathed by more than two years of Israeli bombardment. 

The ceasefire deal calls for an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the Hamas group, a key demand of Israel. Thus far, few countries have expressed interest in taking part in the proposed force. 

The Oct. 10 US-brokered ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones. 

It is not clear how many of the more than 20 members of the Board of Peace will attend the first meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held White House talks with Trump last week, is not expected to be there, but Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is. 

Trump’s new board was first seen as a mechanism focused on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. But it has taken shape with his ambition for a far broader mandate of resolving global crises and appears to be the latest US effort to sidestep the United Nations as Trump aims to reset the post-World War II international order. 

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Arab World

Egypt Says It Held Calls with US Witkoff, Regional Counterparts

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
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Egypt Says It Held Calls with US Witkoff, Regional Counterparts

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate calls to discuss proposals for regional de-escalation with ‌US Envoy ‌Steve Witkoff ‌and ⁠regional counterparts including Iranian ⁠Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the ministry said in a ⁠statement on ‌Sunday.

Egypt, ‌Türkiye and ‌Pakistan have ‌emerged as active intermediaries in the crisis, with ‌Islamabad recently hosting a meeting to ⁠discuss ⁠regional de-escalation and proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Arab World

Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
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Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Warship with Cruise Missile

A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)
A man checks his phone on a beach as smoke rises from Israeli artillery shells on Qlaileh village, visible from Tyre city, south Lebanon, March 28, 2026. (AP)

Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the start of the Middle East war.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said it targeted the vessel 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, claiming the warship was "preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory".

Israeli warships have been used on several recent occasions to launch strikes on Lebanon.

Arab World

IMF Hails Yemen’s Reforms, Supports its Recovery Path

The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
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IMF Hails Yemen’s Reforms, Supports its Recovery Path

The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)
The light of the setting sun illuminates some clouds in the sky over Sanaa, Yemen, 30 March 2026. (EPA)

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday resumed Article IV consultations with the Yemeni legitimate government after 11 years.

Reflecting the country’s improved institutional performance, this development is an important indicator of restoring channels of cooperation with international financial institutions and boosting confidence in the reform path being taken by the government.

“The renewed consultation reflects enhanced institutional capacity and data production,” the IMF said in a statement.

It positively noted the government’s efforts to achieve the minimum economic stabilization despite the extraordinary circumstances the country is going through.

The Fund said Yemen’s economy is gradually emerging from the deep recession following the suspension of oil exports in 2022, with the pace of contraction moderating and fiscal and external pressures easing. However, it warned that the war in the Middle East is expected to weigh on Yemen’s economy this year, while risks to the outlook remain substantial.

IMF directors affirmed the authorities' commitment to revenue mobilization and fiscal governance enables the delivery of essential public services.

They noted that a market-based exchange rate supports Yemen’s economic recovery and social stability.

Directors said that engagement with creditors to support a comprehensive debt treatment is also essential to restore debt sustainability.

Meanwhile, the prioritization of essential spending is expected to weigh temporarily on the fiscal balance, the IMF said, but over time will help protect the most vulnerable.

The Yemeni government welcomed the approval of the IMF’s Article IV consultation results after an 11-year pause - an important step restoring international engagement and confidence in its reform agenda to strengthen financial management, transparency and fight corruption, despite the war outcomes and the suspension of oil exports as a result of Houthi attacks.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to continue implementing a comprehensive reform program in various sectors, and to work in coordination with international partners to alleviate human suffering and achieve economic stability.

It then noted the adoption of the 2026 general budget as part of efforts to revive state institutions.

Despite the positive indicators, the IMF said the challenges facing Yemen's economy remain large and complex amid the ongoing war, institutional fragmentation and lack of financial resources.

The IMF stressed that the risks surrounding the future outlook remain high, especially in light of regional developments and their potential impact on the global economy.

It said inflation, fluctuating exchange rates and rising import costs will cause major pressure on the economy, requiring the adoption of balanced precautionary policies to maintain monetary and financial stability.

From 2027 onward, the IMF said the economy is expected to begin regaining momentum as inflation declines, real incomes recover and remittances and non-oil exports expand under the authorities’ Agriculture Plan.