February 19, 2026, 4:55 p.mFeb 19, 2026, 5:08 p.m
US President Donald Trump announced billions in aid for the Gaza Strip at the first meeting of his controversial peace council. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait have pledged $7 billion (5.9 billion euros) for an aid package, Trump announced in the US capital Washington.
He initially did not provide any further details about what this money would be used for.Image: keystone
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is also raising $2 billion to support the Gaza Strip. The world football association FIFA will also help raise $75 million for football-related projects in Gaza, Trump said. According to him, the USA will also provide $10 billion for the Peace Council. The United States is very generous with money because there is nothing more important than peace, emphasized the US President. He initially did not provide any further details about what this money would be used for.
Trump: Five countries will send soldiers to Gaza
According to US President Donald Trump, five states want to send soldiers to the destroyed coastal strip in order to ensure lasting peace in the Gaza Strip. Trump named Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Indonesia at the first meeting of the Peace Council in the US capital Washington. He didn’t give any details.
The Peace Council is supposed to set up the so-called International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is supposed to ensure order in the Gaza Strip.
Several Muslim-majority countries had previously signaled their willingness to provide soldiers, but so far only Indonesia has made a concrete announcement. The Southeast Asian country has promised to send 5,000 to 8,000 soldiers. It was not initially announced how many soldiers the other countries wanted to send. According to Trump, the international force should also secure the ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas and ensure lasting peace.
Trump founded the Peace Council at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos. The body currently has around two dozen members, including Hungary, Israel, Belarus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. (sda/dpa)