In Gaza, Trump’s Board of Peace met with deep scepticism, little hope

In war-ravaged Gaza, residents question whether Trump’s Board of Peace will deliver real security.

Deir el-Balah – As United States President Donald Trump convened the first meeting of his Board of Peace (BoP) in Washington, DC, on Thursday, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were not debating diplomatic language or political frameworks.

On the streets and in tents across central and southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are struggling to survive, one simple question dominated: Will anything actually change in the harsh reality on the ground?

“I’ve heard about money being collected for Gaza, but we see nothing. This has happened many times, but nothing ever changes,” said 43-year-old Amal Joudeh, who lives in a tent in Deir el-Balah.

“I am one of the people whose house is gone. I still have no home. My husband is injured, and my children are injured. We want any support or reconstruction … any solution,” said the mother of eight, who had been displaced from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya.

Addressing the meeting in Washington, DC, Trump announced that nine member nations have pledged $7bn to a reconstruction fund for the Gaza Strip, with five countries agreeing to deploy troops to an International Stabilisation Force for the Palestinian territory.