US president Donald Trump held the first meeting of his “board of peace” this week, in which he outlined his long-awaited plan for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Mr Trump plans to use a $7bn (£5.2bn) reconstruction fund, financed by several countries on the board, to carry out a massive rebuild of the war-torn enclave.
The president laid out the plans at a meeting in Washington DC on Thursday, attended by delegations from 50 countries, including those allies who are notably not members of the board, such as the UK, Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland.
The second phase of the Gaza peace plan, signed by Hamas and Israel last October, included the disarmament of the militant group, which Mr Trump said they have agreed to, and the reconstruction of Gaza, which will be overseen by the board.
But there are concerns among Washington’s Western allies about the effectiveness of the board, amid fears it has been set up to replace the UN.
Here’s everything we know so far about Mr Trump’s Gaza peace plan:
What does the Gaza plan involve?
One critical component of the plan is the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to Gaza.
Mr Trump said several nations will send thousands of troops to join the force, including 8,000 personnel pledged by Indonesia. Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania also committed to sending soldiers.
Led by a US general with an Indonesian deputy, the force began operations to train a new police force in Israeli-controlled areas, beginning with Rafah, a major population centre in Gaza which was largely demolished during the war.
The aim will be to prepare 12,000 police officers and deploy 20,000 troops, Mr Trump said. Egypt and Jordan have pledged to help train police.
Major General Jasper Jeffers, who is leading the Stabilisation Force, said the police and troops “help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace”.
The disarmament of Hamas, a condition on which Mr Trump’s plan hinges, could still prove to be a contentious issue.
The US president said he hopes force will not be necessary, and claimed Hamas had committed to disarming and “looks like they’re going to be doing that, but we’ll have to find out”.
But the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning, stating: “Very soon, Hamas will face a dilemma – to disarm peacefully or be disarmed forcefully”.
Who is paying for it?
The initial $7bn fund was reportedly contributed by countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait.
Mr Trump said the US would also contribute $10bn to the board, but did not specify from where he would source these funds.
Other pledges include $75m from Fifa for football-related projects and $2bn from the UN for humanitarian assistance.
This falls significantly short of the roughly $70bn required to fully rebuild Gaza, much of which was flattened by Israeli bombardment over two years.
Who is on Trump’s board and why are Western countries not involved?
The board’s membership largely includes Middle Eastern nations, alongside leaders from outside the region who may be seeking to curry favour with Mr Trump.
Israel is a member, but there are no Palestinian representatives included.
Other members include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
From elsewhere in the world, there is Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The US’s key Western allies and major powers of the Global South such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, have not accepted offers to join.
The leaders of the UK, EU, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden have said they will not join.
Mr Trump even rescinded an invitation for Canada last month after he took issue with prime minister Mark Carney’s speech in at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Rights experts said that Mr Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembles a colonial structure, and have criticised the board for not including a Palestinian representative, despite being meant to supervise the temporary governing of a Palestinian territory.
Critics also raised concerns about the former British prime minister Tony Blair’s inclusion, given his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
