President Donald Trump announced Thursday that nine countries have committed $7 billion toward rebuilding Gaza and that five nations have agreed to send troops as part of a new international stabilization force, marking a major step in his administration’s postwar plan for the Palestinian territory.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, Trump said Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania will contribute troops to the Gaza stabilization mission. Egypt and Jordan, he added, have agreed to assist by training police forces for the effort.

The initial deployment of forces is expected to focus on Rafah, a key population hub in southern Gaza, where U.S. officials intend to concentrate early reconstruction initiatives.

Trump identified Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait as the countries providing financial pledges for the relief package.

“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” Trump said as he thanked participating nations. He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”

Although the $7 billion in commitments represents a substantial sum, it falls well short of the roughly $70 billion experts estimate will be required to fully rebuild Gaza after two years of devastating conflict.

The President also revealed that the United States would contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace, though he did not detail how those funds would be allocated.

Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who is heading the newly established International Stabilization Force, outlined the scope of the proposed security presence. He said the plan envisions 12,000 police officers and 20,000 troops operating in Gaza.

“With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said.

The Board of Peace was originally conceived as part of Trump’s 20-point framework aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Following the October ceasefire, the President broadened the body’s mandate to include wider international conflict-resolution initiatives.

Some observers have questioned whether the expanded mission of the Board could encroach on responsibilities traditionally handled by the United Nations.

Responding to those concerns, Trump argued that the new body would ultimately strengthen the U.N. rather than weaken it.

“Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” Trump said. “I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”

While most countries dispatched senior representatives to the event, several heads of state attended in person, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán.

More than 40 nations, along with the European Union, confirmed participation in Thursday’s session. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom were among more than a dozen countries that did not formally join the Board but took part as observers.

“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be,” Trump predicted. “And some are playing a little cute — it doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”

The meeting came one day after the U.N. Security Council convened a high-level session to discuss the Gaza ceasefire agreement and Israel’s moves to expand its presence in the West Bank. That session, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved up after Trump set the Board’s meeting for the same day, complicating travel arrangements for diplomats seeking to attend both gatherings.

Earlier in the week, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration responded Wednesday, rejecting concerns raised by the Vatican.

A central focus of the Board’s deliberations was the formation of an armed multinational force tasked with maintaining order in Gaza and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas, a key Israeli demand and a central element of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has offered little indication that it is prepared to relinquish its weapons. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization” but has drawn some encouragement from reports by mediators.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio underscored the scale of the task ahead in remarks to the assembly.

“We have a long ways to go,” Rubio said. “There’s a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation state represented here today.”