US efforts to fundraise for Gaza reconstruction marred by fog over Hamas disarmament |
WASHINGTON — The United States will host the inaugural meeting of the Gaza-overseeing Board of Peace next week, using the opportunity to try and raise funds for the reconstruction of the war-torn coastal enclave.
It will be a tough pitch, as Hamas still dominates the western half of the Gaza Strip, Israel remains in control of the eastern half, and IDF strikes on what it says are terror operatives throughout the territory have continued on a near-daily basis since Washington brokered a ceasefire in October 2025 aimed at ending two years of war.
Addressing the Board of Peace signing ceremony on January 22, US President Donald Trump’s top aide and son-in-law Jared Kushner acknowledged that the reconstruction of Gaza will not be able to proceed if Hamas doesn’t disarm.
But the Trump administration isn’t waiting for the terror group to hand over its weapons and has sent out invitations to the fundraising conference on February 19 in Washington, where it believes it will be able to announce donations amounting to several billion dollars from countries around the globe, a US official told The Times of Israel.
The US is still working on a plan to decommission Hamas’s weapons, and hopes to unveil it in the coming weeks, the official said.
While the White House declined a request for comment, two sources familiar with discussions about the decommissioning plan said its fundamental principle will be stripping Hamas of weapons that can be used to threaten Israel.
The plan envisions Hamas handing over heavy weaponry and destroying manufacturing sites in addition to incentivizing the handover of lighter weapons by offering funds, jobs and amnesty to those who cooperate, the sources said.
While this may not lead to the recovery of every single weapon belonging to terror groups in the Strip, the US believes that enough pressure from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey can prevent Hamas from playing spoiler.
For its part, the terror group has not shown it is prepared to cooperate, with one of its top officials in Doha, Khaled Mashaal, insisting earlier this week that it will not give up its weapons.
But an Arab diplomat argued that Hamas officials have expressed more flexibility in private and that Mashaal’s comments had more to do with electioneering ahead of a yet-to-be-scheduled leadership race within the group.
Adopting this optimistic approach about the chances for Hamas disarmament, the US sent out dozens of invitations to next week’s fundraising event.
Only a handful of the 27 Board of Peace member states have confirmed plans to attend. Trump allies Viktor Orbán of........