Trump’s Gaza Peace Board Faces Cash Crunch Claims, Officials Deny Shortfall
- Reuters says less than $1B arrived, despite $17B pledged for Gaza governance and rebuilding.
- Board of Peace denied any shortfall, saying all funding requests were met in full.
- NCAG remains unable to enter Gaza as funding, security, and disarmament talks stall.
Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is facing conflicting accounts over whether money shortages are slowing its plan for Gaza’s postwar administration and reconstruction. Reuters reported that the board has received less than $1 billion, despite $17 billion in pledges made at a Washington conference hosted by Trump.
The conference took place ten days before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran widened regional instability. At that meeting, Gulf Arab states pledged billions for governance and rebuilding in Gaza after two years of destruction caused by Israel’s assault.
Funding Claims Clash With Public Denial
According to Reuters, one source with direct knowledge of the board’s operations said only three of ten pledging countries had contributed funds. The source identified the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and the United States as the only contributors so far.
That same source said the war involving Iran worsened earlier funding difficulties and disrupted progress further. Reuters also reported that funding problems, together with security concerns, prevented the NCAG from entering Gaza.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is a U.S.-backed body of Palestinian technocrats. It is intended to take over governance from Hamas and manage ministries and the police force. After the Reuters report, the Board of Peace rejected the funding shortfall narrative in a statement posted on social media.
It said it is a lean group that calls capital as needed. The board also said there are no funding constraints and that every request has been met immediately and in full. It added that more work remains to support the NCAG and unpaid civil servants.
NCAG Deployment Remains Blocked
A second source, described as a Palestinian official familiar with the matter, gave a sharper account of the financial strain. The official said the board informed Hamas and other factions that the NCAG could not enter Gaza because funding was unavailable.
Reuters reported that the official cited a board envoy as telling Palestinian groups that no money was currently available. Hamas, meanwhile, has repeatedly said it is ready to hand governance to the NCAG.
The committee is led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister with the Palestinian Authority. Reuters reported that Shaath and his 14 committee members have been staying in a Cairo hotel under American and Egyptian supervision.
Their planned role is central to the broader framework presented at the Washington conference. The plan calls for large-scale rebuilding after Hamas is disarmed and Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.
Related: Inside Iran’s Viral Troll Campaign Against Trump and the US
Reconstruction Costs Outpace Current Contributions
The financial gap is significant as the scale of destruction is vast. Global institutions have projected Gaza’s reconstruction cost at about $70 billion after two years of war. Reuters reported that roughly four-fifths of buildings in Gaza were destroyed during that period.
Even after a ceasefire was agreed last October, health officials in Gaza said Israeli attacks killed at least 700 people. Israel, meanwhile, said militant attacks killed four soldiers during the same period. Those figures show why the funding dispute matters beyond internal planning and diplomatic messaging.
The political conditions tied to the plan also remain unresolved. Israel says Hamas must disarm before troops withdraw, while Hamas says disarmament requires guarantees of an Israeli pullback and an end to firing.
On the other hand, Egypt-hosted talks on disarmament remain deadlocked, leaving the proposed transition still unimplemented. That has left Trump’s peace effort constrained by disputed financing, unresolved security conditions, and an unfinished war.The stalled plan also reflects wider pressure on Trump’s diplomatic agenda. Reuters noted that he has struggled to end the Ukraine war and is also facing strain around this week’s Iran truce.
