US 'wants countries to pay $1bn to stay on Gaza peace board'

Donald Trump wants countries to pay $1bn to be permanent members of the US-backed Board of Peace, according to reports.

The Board of Peace will form a key part of the Gaza peace process but a statement from the office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the US did not coordinate its creation with them.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco ‍Rubio, the statement added.

The Board of Peace, unveiled by the White House ‌on Friday, will be chaired by Donald Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza's transitional administration.

It would include 11 members who will be part of an executive board, plus additional members.

The US administration has reached out to around 60 countries to contribute $1 billion (£747 million) if they want their membership on the board to extend beyond three years, according to a draft charter seen by Reuters and first reported by Bloomberg News.

The executive board includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, despite Israel's opposition to any Turkish role in Gaza.

Other members on the "founding executive board" include Mr Trump's special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who both helped negotiate the peace plan, and Mr Rubio.

Former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Sigrid Kaag, as well as Nickolay Mladenov, former UN Middle East envoy, who has been appointed High Representative for Gaza, are also part of the executive board.

Other members include US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel, billionaire Marc Rowan, and World Bank president Ajay Banga, who is Israeli.

Jordan's foreign ministry said Sunday that King Abdullah has also received an invitation from President Trump to join.

The offices of the Egyptian and Turkish presidents have confirmed they have been invited.

The leaders of France, Germany, Australia and Canada were also reportedly among those invited to sit on the board.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had been invited to represent the European Union.

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Major General Jasper Jeffers will command an "International Stabilisation Force", responsible for security operations, demilitarisation, and safe delivery of humanitarian aid, the White House said.

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump called the board "the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place".

After fulfilling its initial aim to end the conflict in Gaza, the board would then expand to tackle conflicts elsewhere, Mr Trump said in an interview this week.

"It's going to, in my opinion, start with Gaza and then do conflicts as they arise," he told Reuters.

This week marked the start of the second phase of President Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which was first unveiled in September.

A fragile ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, but the enclave continues to see episodes of deadly violence, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the peace deal.

In October 2023, Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, which claimed the lives of some 1,200 people, with 251 others taken hostage.

The attack was soon followed by an Israeli offensive on Gaza, which lasted two years and killed a further 70,000 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

(c) Sky News 2026: US 'wants countries to pay $1bn to stay on Gaza peace board'