Gulf states pledge billions for Board of Peace Gaza plans

• UAE donating $1.2bn
• $1bn from Qatar, Saudi and Kuwait
• Bahrain pledges digital infrastructure

Gulf states have revealed billions of dollars of combined commitments to reconstruct Gaza during the first official meeting of the US-led Board of Peace.

The public convening added some details to plans initially previewed last month.

However, it made all proposals contingent on the full disarmament of Hamas without clarifying how the parties intend to secure such an outcome. 

It also did not clarify or resolve other highly contentious issues, such as Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and a pathway to an eventual Palestinian state. 

The White House designed the Board of Peace as a framework to oversee the rollout of a 20-point roadmap to peace that Israel and Hamas agreed in October, and which for now has resulted in a fragile ceasefire.

A Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund has been established by the World Bank in its role as a limited trustee and is “ready for donations”, according to Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank Group.

The UAE said it would put $1.2 billion toward financing this push, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait pledged $1 billion each. 

Around $7 billion has been committed in total thus far by a dozen countries, also including Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, US President Donald Trump said during the event in Washington on Thursday. He said the US would chip in another $10 billion.

Saudi Arabia’s contribution aims to help “alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and bring them the peace that they and the whole region so desperately desire”, said Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain said his nation is ready to offer “the necessary infrastructure and skills” to create “an effective government digital services platform for Gaza”.

Establishing digital services in Gaza is one of the goals that Board of Peace participants outlined in several brief presentations at the event. The UN’s latest rankings place Bahrain 18th in the world for government digitalisation, having climbed 36 spots between 2022 and 2024. 

Egypt, Jordan and Morocco pledged to support and train a new Gazan police force.

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Clearing the rubble that covers almost the entirety of the strip after Israel’s two-year-long military offensive, and building housing, physical and social infrastructure, and employment opportunities are other top priorities.

A quick overview was shared at the event of the plan to remove 70 million tonnes of debris and provide Palestinians with temporary homes while working with regional contractors to erect new, permanent structures.

No indication was given about the timeline these pledged investments would require.

UN officials have estimated at least seven years “under the right conditions” just to remove debris in Gaza, and upwards of 14 years to clear unexploded bombs.