“It looks like Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons,” Trump added. “They said ‘they’re not afraid to die,’ but they are.”
President Trump speaks at inaugural Board of Peace meeting ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 19, 2026 07:34Updated: FEBRUARY 19, 2026 18:59 US President Donald Trump presided over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday, with unresolved questions on the likelihood of war with Iran hanging over an event that included representatives from more than 45 nations. The president said that he would “find out about Iran in about 10 days,” Trump added. “We do have some work to do in Iran. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.” Regarding the future of Gaza, Trump said he believed “Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons.” Eyal Zakai reflects on Gaza service and song written in combat dedicated to fallen soldier “They said ‘they’re not afraid to die,’ but they are,” he added. “The war in Gaza is over. It’s over,” he said, admitting that “there are little flames.” Trump also said that it seems to him that Hamas will disarm. “Hamas has been, I think they’re going to give up their weapons, which is what they promised,” he said. “If they don’t, it’ll be, you know, they’ll be harshly met, very harshly met. They don’t want that.” Trump said that various US allies have contributed over $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza, and that the US would contribute around $10 billion.
Trump claims BoP will oversee United Nations
He went on to say that the Board of Peace will be “looking over” the United Nations, which he referred to as having “great potential.” “The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly,” he said. “We’re going to strengthen the United Nations. We’re going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money-wise. We’re going to help them money-wise, and we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable.” He also made a point to note that he “doesn’t care” about winning any awards for his efforts. “I don’t care about Nobel prizes,” he said. “I care about saving lives.” Addressing the various dignitaries in attendance, Trump called out Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani by name, saying he is “a great man, highly respected.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that there was “no plan B” for Gaza other than President Donald Trump’s peace effort, as the new body met for the first time in Washington to discuss ways to build on a fragile ceasefire that began in October. “We have to get this right. There is no plan B for Gaza. Plan B is going back to war. No one here wants that,” Rubio said.What did the Board of Peace discuss in first meeting?
The disarmament of Hamas terrorists, the size of the reconstruction fund, and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead. Trump addressed the group at the Donald J Trump US Institute of Peace – a building in Washington, the president recently renamed for himself – and announced that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund. The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is an expected $1.2 billion from each of Washington’s Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a US official told Reuters. Trump’s Board of Peace has been controversial. It includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives, and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the UN’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution. Senior US officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza. Disarming Hamas terrorists in order for the peacekeepers to begin their mission remains a major sticking point, and the force is not expected to deploy for weeks or months. Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a ceasefire last October in the two-year Israel-Hamas War. “We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” a senior administration official said.Several UN Security Council members will not attend BoP meeting
Delegations from 47 countries, including the European Union, are expected to attend the event, US officials said. The list includes Israel and a wide array of countries from Albania to Vietnam. It does not, however, include permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, such as France, Britain, Russia, and China. Speakers at the event are expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role on the board, US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees. A member of the peace board, who declined to be named, said the Gaza plan faces formidable obstacles. Establishing security in the enclave is a precondition for progress in other areas, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained, said the official. The official added that a key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas. The peace board’s representatives could do so with countries that have influence over Hamas – notably Qatar and Turkey – but Israel is deeply skeptical of both. Another major issue is the flow of aid, which the official described as “disastrous” and in urgent need of scaling up. Even if aid surges in, it remains unclear who will distribute it, the official said.
