Gaza reconstruction plan under Trump’s Board of Peace reduced to pilot project: British publication

Lead

The postwar recovery plan for Gaza pursued by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has been significantly scaled back from a territory-wide reconstruction effort to a limited pilot project in the south of the strip, according to reports in Dawn and The Guardian. The revised scheme envisions a temporary camp near Rafah for a fraction of Gaza’s displaced population, administered by a Palestinian body with local police and a small contingent of an International Stabilization Force. Construction of the civilian camp itself has yet to start, and substantial progress is not expected before Israel’s elections scheduled for 27 October.

Dawn and The Guardian both describe the Board of Peace as having been proposed in September 2025 and formally established in January, with the US government as its official depository and the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington designated as headquarters. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorised the board and cooperating states to establish an international stabilisation force following the October ceasefire accepted by Israel and Hamas under a Trump-backed plan. The Guardian notes that even the reduced pilot is not expected to take shape before the end of 2026.

Coverage Comparison

Dawn and The Guardian present closely aligned accounts focused on the shrinkage of the original recovery blueprint and the humanitarian context surrounding it. Both outlets report that Moroccan and Kosovan officers have arrived in Israel to form the initial cadre of the International Stabilization Force, while a logistics base near Kerem Shalom is under construction or nearing completion to house vehicles and equipment. Satellite imagery cited by The Guardian shows disturbed earth at the planned Rafah site but no new structures. The two papers also note Israel’s repeated strikes since the October ceasefire and Hamas’s refusal to disarm, linking these factors to limited progress and concerns about a possible renewed offensive.

The Jerusalem Post offers complementary reporting centred on Israeli governmental processes and internal debate. One account states that the Security Cabinet is expected to discuss a new Board of Peace proposal and the launch of the pilot phase in Rafah, involving temporary housing whose residents would face strict screening to exclude Hamas affiliates. The pilot would be the first area administered by a Palestinian technocratic body with International Stabilization Force support, with expansion contingent on success. Another Jerusalem Post report details that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock have called for a fresh cabinet vote, arguing that the original approval of the pilot phase and principal endorsement of International Stabilization Force deployment rested on incomplete information. A further Jerusalem Post piece records that a Board of Peace delegation briefed US congressional national-security staff on implementation of Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan, and that Board chief Nickolay Mladenov met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to request a 14-day halt to strikes aimed at enabling demilitarisation steps.

Key Claims

• The Gaza recovery plan under the Board of Peace has been scaled back to a small pilot project in southern Gaza rather than full-territory reconstruction, as reported by Dawn and The Guardian.
• The pilot envisions a temporary camp near Rafah with a Palestinian administration, police and a small International Stabilization Force contingent; construction of the camp has not begun, according to Dawn, The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post.
• Moroccan and Kosovan officers have arrived in Israel as the initial cadre of the International Stabilization Force, and a logistics base is under construction near Kerem Shalom, per Dawn and The Guardian.
• Israel has carried out repeated strikes on Gaza since the October ceasefire, while Hamas has refused to disarm, citing continued occupation and strikes, as stated by Dawn and The Guardian.
• Growing concerns exist that Israel may launch another full-scale offensive ahead of the October elections, reported by Dawn and The Guardian.
• Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved the pilot phase and principal deployment of the International Stabilization Force, yet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock have demanded a new vote on grounds of incomplete information, according to the Jerusalem Post.
• A Board of Peace delegation briefed US congressional leaders’ national-security advisers on the Comprehensive Peace Plan, and Board chief Nickolay Mladenov met Netanyahu to request a 14-day ceasefire, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Perspectives

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock contend that the cabinet’s approval of the Board of Peace pilot and International Stabilization Force deployment was based on incomplete and misleading information that omitted key legal and operational consequences, including effects on Israel’s ability to restrict financial activity by organisations viewed as hostile; they have urged ministers to rescind the decision and hold a fresh vote after full review.

The Board of Peace, through its officials and chief Nickolay Mladenov, presents the pilot as a pragmatic next step within Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan, emphasising productive consultations with Israeli leaders, bipartisan engagement with the US Congress, and a request for a temporary halt to strikes to enable demilitarisation and reconstruction progress.

Western diplomats cited by The Guardian argue that the Board has little choice but to maximise limited gains under current constraints, viewing a potential change of Israeli government after the October elections as the likeliest path to greater flexibility, while noting uncertainty over whether any successor coalition would prove substantially more accommodating.