President Donald Trump has announced at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package. He also says five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory. While lauding the pledges, Trump faces the unresolved challenge of disarming Hamas, a sticking point that threatens to delay or even derail the Gaza ceasefire plan that his administration notched as a major foreign policy win. The dollars pledged on Thursday, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
Israel says it will reopen Gaza's border crossing with Egypt in both directions over the weekend. The move announced on Friday will allow Palestinians to enter and leave the territory after nearly two years of near-complete closure. The Israeli military body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza said in a statement Friday that "limited movement of people only" would be allowed. The reopening of the Rafah crossing on Sunday will mark an important step forward for U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan. The crossing is Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. It has been largely closed since May 2024.
