Board overseeing Gaza reconstruction warns of $70 billion funding gap

A body established by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip is warning of a critical funding shortfall that threatens its plans, according to a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council. The Board of Peace stated that the gap between pledged funds and money actually disbursed must be closed with urgency.

The board’s report, dated May 15, said funds committed but not yet transferred mark the difference between a framework that exists on paper and one that delivers on the ground. The cost of reconstructing Gaza, where officials report 85 percent of buildings and infrastructure have been destroyed, is estimated at $70 billion. The board has reportedly received pledges totaling $17 billion from several nations, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, and Uzbekistan. The report did not specify the size of the current funding gap.

This warning follows earlier media reports in April that the board had received only a small fraction of the pledged funds, claims the board initially denied by stating it was an execution-focused organization with no funding constraints. The board now...