A central pillar of President Donald Trump’s plan for a lasting Mideast peace is a massive, internationally funded effort to rebuild Gaza, and he has a clear idea of who should foot the bill: the region’s wealthy Arab states. As he prepares to meet with over 20 regional leaders in Egypt, securing financial commitments for reconstruction is a top priority.
“You have some very wealthy countries, as you know, over there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that,” Trump stated ahead of his trip, expressing confidence that these nations “want to do it.” This approach aims to transform the post-war response into a collaborative Arab-led project, with the US providing logistical and political support.
The scale of the devastation is staggering. Months of conflict have leveled entire neighborhoods, destroyed critical infrastructure, and displaced the majority of Gaza’s 2 million residents. Rebuilding is projected to take years and cost tens of billions of dollars, an effort far beyond the capacity of traditional humanitarian aid organizations.
The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh will be the first major test of this strategy. Trump will use the forum to press leaders from the Gulf and beyond to pledge significant funds. The US-led civil-military coordination center being set up in Israel is designed to help manage the flow of these funds and materials into Gaza efficiently and securely.
However, financial commitments will likely come with political conditions. Arab nations may demand a clear and viable plan for Gaza’s future governance and progress toward a Palestinian state before investing heavily in reconstruction. Trump’s challenge will be to broker a political framework that is acceptable to Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab donors who are being asked to pay the price of peace.
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