Trump’s Gaza Board Stalls on $70 Billion Plan as Hamas Holds Arms and Israel Expands to 60%
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 1
Trump’s Gaza Board Stalls on $70 Billion Plan as Hamas Holds Arms and Israel Expands to 60%
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 1
Seven months after Trump unveiled it, the Board of Peace has not started Gaza reconstruction: no contracts are signed, no projects are underway, and virtually none of the pledged money has been spent.
The plan is blocked by Hamas’s refusal to disarm, Israel’s continued strikes and territorial expansion, and Arab donors’ reluctance to fund rebuilding without a credible path to long-term peace and Palestinian statehood.
Board officials say members have pledged $17 billion of the estimated $70 billion needed, but one person familiar with the talks said the board has “no money,” while the interim Gaza committee and planned stabilization force remain undeployed.
Conditions in Gaza remain dire: 85% of buildings are damaged or destroyed, more than 1 million people are living in tents or ruined structures, and U.N. officials say one in five families is eating only once a day.
The deadlock has widened since Trump shifted focus after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, while Netanyahu says Israeli forces now aim to hold 70% of Gaza and mediators warn renewed fighting could follow.
Is Israel's 'Yellow Line' turning Trump's Gaza reconstruction plan into a de facto annexation strategy?
Gaza’s Reconstruction at a Standstill: 85% of Buildings Destroyed, Board of Peace Faces Legitimacy Crisis and Political Deadlock (June 2026)
Overview
As of June 2026, Gaza faces a severe crisis with reconstruction efforts stalled and the humanitarian situation worsening. Nearly 85 percent of buildings are damaged or destroyed, leaving over a million people displaced and living in makeshift shelters. The massive scale of destruction has created 70 million tons of rubble, much of it mixed with unexploded ordnance, making cleanup dangerous and slow. Funding delays and political deadlock, especially over Hamas’s disarmament, have blocked recovery. The Board of Peace, intended to coordinate reconstruction, faces criticism for its unclear structure, lack of local participation, and limited international support, leaving Gaza’s future uncertain.