WHITE HOUSE TO HOLD BOARD OF PEACE MEETING IN DC ON GAZA RECONSTRUCTION. (PHOTO).

 White House to hold Board of Peace meeting in DC on Gaza reconstruction

The White House is planning a leaders’ meeting for the Gaza “Board of Peace” on February 19, aiming to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and raise funds for reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and diplomats from four countries on the board. The session, which will also serve as a fundraising conference, is still in early planning stages, and the White House has not formally confirmed details. Officials said invitations are being extended to world leaders, and logistics are being coordinated for a meeting at the Institute of Peace, recently rebranded in Trump’s honor.

The board, chaired by Trump, currently has 27 members and was authorized by the UN Security Council to oversee ceasefire implementation, governance, and reconstruction in Gaza. The initiative has faced skepticism from Western allies, many of whom did not join, citing the board’s broad mandate and Trump’s veto power over its decisions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump on February 18, a day before the summit, and has agreed to Israel joining the board, though he has yet to sign the charter. Participation in the meeting would mark Netanyahu’s first public engagement with Arab and Muslim leaders since the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire has progressed slowly. Israel has partially reopened the Rafah crossing with Egypt, but only a limited number of Palestinians have been allowed through. A Palestinian technocratic government has been formed but remains in Egypt. Mediators, including the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, are negotiating a demilitarization agreement with Hamas, which Israel insists on before withdrawing forces or allowing reconstruction. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the plan includes the decommissioning of all military infrastructure, supervised by international monitors, and a program to buy back weapons from Hamas members, some of whom may join new government security forces. Netanyahu, skeptical of the plan, claims Trump promised Hamas would have just 60 days to disarm, a timeline U.S. officials deny, emphasizing that the demilitarization process will take longer, with only initial steps outlined in a 100-day plan presented in Davos by Trump adviser Jared Kushner.