Issued on: 19/02/2026 - 04:18Modified: 20/02/2026 - 04:53
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US was pledging $10 billion for his inaugural Board of Peace, a new body aimed at consolidating progress in Gaza while signalling broader ambitions to reshape international conflict management, but didn't specify what the money would be used for. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated.
FIFA to lead $75m Palestinian soccer rebuilding fund
FIFA will spearhead a $75 million fund to rebuild soccer facilities in Gaza that were destroyed by the war between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump and the sport's governing body said Thursday.
Trump made the announcement in Washington at the first meeting of his "Board of Peace," an amorphous institution that features two dozen of the US president's close allies and is initially focused on rebuilding the Gaza strip.
"I'm also pleased to announce that FIFA will be helping to raise a total of $75 million for projects in Gaza," said Trump.
'It's about hope': FIFA pledges $50 million for new football stadium in Gaza
FIFA, football's international governing body, promised to help finance a gleaming new national football stadium in war-ravaged Gaza pledging $50 million for the project at Thursday's Washington meeting of President Trump's Board of Peace.
“We don’t have to just rebuild houses or schools or hospitals or roads,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “We also have to rebuild and build people, emotion, hope and trust. And this is what football, my sport, is about.”
The new stadium will hold between 20,000 and 25,000 spectators, and Infantino said the project would include building a $15 million FIFA academy. The organization also promised to spend an additional $2.5 million for 50 “arena mini pitches,” or soccer fields, and five full-sized fields costing $1 million each.
Gaza doesn't have a national soccer team. A unified Palestinian squad represents it and the West Bank and has been recognized by FIFA since 1998 — but has never qualified for the World Cup.
“Football, or soccer, as it is called here, is the world’s universal language,” Infantino said. “It’s about hope. It’s about joy. It’s about happiness. It’s about coming together. It’s about uniting the world.”
He showed a video that proclaimed, “A simple ball. A shared field. A reason to believe again,” while noting that FIFA and the Board of Peace were joining forces to “turn football into a bridge toward peace, dignity and hope.”
Belarus angered by US failure to issue visas for Board of Peace meeting
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said on Thursday it had intended to attend the first meeting of Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Washington but failed to receive the necessary visas.
In an angry statement, the Belarusian foreign ministry said it told the event's organisers it would be represented by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov at the meeting and had applied for the visas in advance.
"However, despite completing all the required procedures on our part, visas were not issued to our delegation," the ministry said.
"This situation naturally raises the question: what kind of peace and what kind of consistency can we be talking about if even the basic formalities for our participation were not fulfilled by the organisers?"
The eastern European country, ruled for more than 30 years by President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin, was one of only around two dozen that accepted invitations to join Trump's board.
Few Western democracies that traditionally ally with the United States have joined.
Indonesia becomes staunch supporter of Trump's Gaza plan
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto was quick to accept Trump's offer of a place on the ‘Board of Peace’ and has at today's first Board of Peace meeting in Washington confirmed that Indonesia will deploy some 8,000 peacekeeping troops, as part of Trump's postwar plan for Gaza.
Indonesia remains the world's most populace muslim nation and the move is likely to upset many Indonesians who are traditionally firm supporters of the Palestinian cause.
FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell has this report.
As Board of Peace meets, 'every day is worse than the one before' for Gazans
According to the UN, two million people are still displaced in Gaza living in overcrowded camps with little access to food or running water.
Ajith Sunghay of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territories told FRANCE 24 that "violations have continued even in Gaza where there is a ceasefire".
He added that over 600 people had been killed in the region since October 2025 when the ceasefire came into effect and humanitarian aid was still not reaching those in need.
FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle has this report.
Countries that attended Trump's first Board of Peace meeting in Washington
The Board of Peace met for the first time in Washington on Thursday, bringing together officials from nearly 50 countries. Twenty-seven of the countries have joined the board. The other participating countries — as well as the European Union — came as observers.
President Donald Trump opened the meeting, announcing that nine board members pledged a combined $7 billion toward relief in war-battered Gaza Strip.
Here's a look at which counties attended the meeting:
Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, European Union, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, South Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Which countries attended Trump's first Board of Peace meeting?
Trump's first Board of Peace meeting in Washington on Thursday brought together officials from nearly 50 countries. Twenty seven of the countries have joined the board. The other participating countries — as well as the European Union — came as observers.
Here's a look at which counties attended.
— Albania
— Argentina
— Armenia
— Azerbaijan
— Bahrain
— Bulgaria
— Cambodia
— Egypt
— El Salvador
— Hungary
— Indonesia
— Israel
— Jordan
— Kazakhstan
— Kosovo
— Kuwait
— Mongolia
— Morocco
— Pakistan
— Paraguay
— Qatar
— Saudi Arabia
— Turkey
— United Arab Emirates
— Uzbekistan
— Vietnam
— Austria
— Croatia
— Cyprus
— Czech Republic
— European Union
— Finland
— Germany
— Greece
— India
— Italy
— Japan
— Mexico
— Netherlands
— Norway
— Oman
— Poland
— South Korea
— Romania
— Slovakia
— Switzerland
— Thailand
— United Kingdom
Trump's 'Board of Peace' Gaza pledge 'a drop in the ocean'
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said countries had contributed more than $7 billion towards relief in Gaza as part of his Board of Peace effort, though this amount is a "drop in the ocean" compared to the amount needed to rebuild the battered enclave, says Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House.
Trump's first 'Board of Peace' meeting: 'Still unclear what he's trying to achieve
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced $10 billion in US funding for the "Board of Peace," initiatives as he presided over the inaugural meeting of the board, which gathered around two dozen world leaders and senior officials, including several of Trump's authoritarian-leaning allies.
However, there was little information on how the money would be used and it "remains unclear" what Trump is trying to achieve with the board, says FRANCE 24's James Andre.
Around 2,000 sign up for new transitional Palestinian police force
Two thousand Palestinians have applied to join a new transitional Palestinian police force, Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza, said on
Thursday at the first meeting of the Board of Peace.
Indonesia to commit around 8,000 troops to Gaza security force
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, will take a deputy commander role in a nascent International Stabilization Force in Gaza and Morocco will contribute troops, the unit's American chief said Thursday.
"I have offered and Indonesia has accepted the position of deputy commander for the ISF," Major General Jasper Jeffers announced at the inaugural meeting of President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" attended by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Indonesia has said it is ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza if the force is confirmed. The force aims to have 20,000 soldiers, as well as a new police force.
Five nations commit troops for Gaza international security force
Five countries have committed troops for an international security force for Gaza, the commander of the force said on Thursday during a meeting of President Donald Trump's newly created Board of Peace.
"The first five countries have committed troops to serve in the ISF – Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania.
Two countries have committed to train police – Egypt and Jordan," International Stabilization Force commander Army Major General Jasper Jeffers said.
Jeffers also said the ISF would begin by deploying in southern Gaza's Rafa, train police there and "expand sector by sector".
The long-term plan is to use 20,000 ISF troops and train 12,000 police, Jeffers said.
US pledges $10 billion for new Board of Peace
Trump said the US was pledging $10 billion for his inaugural Board of Peace.
Board of Peace nations pledge $7 billion towards Gaza relief package
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said countries had contributed more than $7 billion towards relief in Gaza as part of his Board of Peace effort.
"I'm pleased to announce that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait have all contributed more than $7 billion toward the relief package," Trump said at the board's inaugural meeting in Washington.
Norway to host ad-hoc liaison committee for Palestinian aid
Norway plans to host a meeting this spring of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Palestinian aid, which the country has led for decades, but is not joining Donald Trump's Board of Peace, the Norwegian foreign ministry said in a
statement on Thursday.
'Difficult to fathom what it is and how it's going to work,' FRANCE 24's James Andre says of Trump's Board of Peace
FRANCE 24's international affairs editor James Andre says that it was unclear whether Trump's ambition was to replace the United Nations with his Board of Peace
"It's difficult to fathom what it is and how it's going to work", Andre said.
"Its main task is rebuilding Gaza ... but we didn't see any clear strategy aside from wishful thinking."
Andre added that Trump gets to choose who is on the board, "he can revoke anyone at any time. He has complete control."
The US's traditional allies, including France, Germany and Italy who have chosen not to join the board at this stage, were conspicuous by their absence at the inaugural meeting in Washington.
US committed to 'a harmonious Middle East', Trump says
Trump says US is committed to "a harmonious Middle East" and while he was hopeful of Hamas complying with a longterm peace he said, "we have to solve the problem of Lebanon".
Yesterday's key developments:
World leaders prepared to head to Washington on Thursday to discuss the future of the Palestinian territories at the first gathering of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.
The UN Security Council held a high-level meeting Wednesday on the Gaza ceasefire deal and Israel's efforts to expand control in the West Bank.
A top UN official warned Wednesday that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to “de facto annexation”.
On Wednesday, Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, appeared to criticise countries that had not yet signed on to the Board of Peace, saying that unlike the Security Council, the board is “not talking, it is doing".
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
Keywords for this article
The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.
