Published on: 02/19/2026 - 09:04 Modified on: 02/20/2026 - 08:12

Donald Trump declared Thursday during the first meeting of his Peace Council that $7 billion had been paid into a Gaza reconstruction fund, which will be operational when Hamas lays down its arms. The American president mentioned multiple subjects without detailing any objectives. Here is the thread for February 19, 2026.

See you soon !

This is the end of this live, thank you for following it. Our coverage of international news continues on France 24 and France24.com.

Belarus absent from Trump's "Peace Council" meeting due to lack of visa, Minsk says

Belarus was unable to participate in the inaugural session of President Donald Trump's "Peace Council" in Washington, which he had been invited to join as a founding member, because it had not received the necessary visas, Minsk said.

“Despite having completed all the necessary procedures on our side, the visas were not handed over to our delegation,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram.

He recalled that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had nevertheless been invited by his American counterpart to join this body initially created to help with the reconstruction of Gaza, then endowed with a broader conflict resolution mission.

European Commission 'should never have attended' Trump's Peace Council, says Jean-Noël Barrot

🎥 At the “Peace Council”, a disjointed and confusing speech from Trump

Meeting in Washington for the first session of his "Peace Council", Donald Trump delivered a highly anticipated speech, supposed to detail his road map for Gaza and the ongoing conflicts.

But the intervention of the American president left many observers perplexed: contradictory statements, vague announcements... Details from Matthieu Mabin, France 24 correspondent in Washington and Gauthier Rybinski, international columnist ⤵️

Morocco will send police officers and soldiers to Gaza

Morocco committed during the first meeting of Donald Trump's "Peace Council" to send police and soldiers to the Gaza Strip, becoming the first Arab country to do so publicly.

“Morocco is ready to deploy police officers and train Gaza police officers (...) and will deploy senior officers within the joint military command” of the stabilization force in Gaza, declared Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

Indonesia to assume role of deputy commander of stabilization force in Gaza

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, will assume the role of deputy commander of the stabilization force in the Gaza Strip, American General Jasper Jeffers announced during the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump's Peace Council.

He specified that five countries had already committed to providing troops to this force (ISF), citing in addition to Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania. Two countries, Egypt and Jordan, have committed to training police officers, he said.

High Representative for Gaza announces start of recruitment of police force

The high representative for Gaza, Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, announced the start of recruitment of a new Palestinian police force in the Gaza Strip.

“We have started the process of recruiting the Palestinian police forces (...) and in the first hours, 2,000 people applied to join” this transitional force, he declared before the “Peace Council” which is holding its first meeting in Washington.

In Gaza, residents worried about seeing their future decided without them at the Peace Council

Thousands of kilometers from Washington, where the Peace Council chaired by Donald Trump is meeting, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are worried about seeing their future decided without them while they desperately await the reconstruction of their ruined territory.

"How can they understand our needs when they don't experience what we experience every day? We fear that the decisions will be very far from what people on the ground are going through," remarks Mohammed Abdel-Majid, a 37-year-old man displaced in Deir el-Balah, in the center of the Palestinian territory.

Key topics regarding the second phase of the ceasefire are to be addressed, including the funding promised by Council member countries to rebuild the territory and the future deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF).

“If this council brings real appeasement and improves our situation, we will welcome its efforts,” adds Mohammed Abdel-Majid, who is concerned about “the absence of Palestinian representation” in the new body.

Trump announces $10 billion US contribution to Peace Council

Donald Trump announced that the United States would contribute $10 billion to the Peace Council, which is holding its first meeting in Washington.

The initial mission of the Peace Council is to work towards the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but the American president has given it a broader vocation aimed at resolving conflicts in the world.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu says there will be no reconstruction of Gaza without disarming Hamas

As the Peace Council holds its inaugural meeting in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on the need for disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas before any reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,

“We have agreed with our ally, the United States, that there will be no reconstruction of Gaza before the demilitarization of Gaza,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech at a military ceremony.

“FIFA will help raise $75 million for football-related projects in Gaza”

A fund of 75 million dollars, partly financed by Fifa, will be launched for the reconstruction of football infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, announced American President Donald Trump.

“I am also happy to announce that FIFA will help raise a total of $75 million for projects in Gaza, I believe they are football-related,” Donald Trump said in Washington during the inaugural meeting of the “Peace Council”. “You are going to build pitches and bring in the biggest stars in the world, people who are bigger stars than you and me, Gianni” (Infantino, the president of Fifa). It’s really something important, we will quickly give the details, and if I can I will go there with you,” he added.

“More than $7 billion has been provided to support aid efforts in Gaza”

The US president announced, during his speech to inaugurate the first meeting of the Peace Council, that nine members had agreed to commit $7 billion to the Gaza aid program.

“It looks like Hamas will get rid of its weapons, but we need to be sure”

Trump says he is giving himself "ten, fifteen days" to decide if an agreement with Iran is possible

Donald Trump said he would give himself "ten" to "fifteen days" to decide whether an agreement with Iran is possible, or whether he would instead use force against Tehran.

"We may have to go further, or maybe not, maybe we will reach an agreement. You will probably know in the next ten days," said the American president in a speech in Washington before his "Peace Council", which was holding its first meeting. He then mentioned a delay of "ten, fifteen days" maximum, during an exchange with reporters on the plane taking him to Georgia (south-east) for a trip devoted to the economy.

The American president repeated, during his speech in Washington, that without a "relevant" agreement, "bad things" will happen, while the United States has established an imposing naval and air strike force in the Middle East.

Trump says he wants a "relevant" deal with Iran otherwise "bad things" will happen

Donald Trump speaks at the podium and inaugurates the first meeting of the Peace Council

France is surprised by the presence of the European Commission at the Peace Council

France said it was surprised that the European Commission attended the Peace Council meeting, not having the mandate to go there and participate, according to the spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A total of 47 countries, some of which are members of the Council, and the EU "as an observer" are preparing to discuss the future of the Palestinian territory.

🎥 The first Peace Council meets in Washington: video update

Created to help rebuild Gaza, then given a broader conflict resolution mission, Donald Trump's Peace Council is holding its first meeting in Washington on Thursday.

Head of interim Gaza administration in Washington for Peace Council meeting

The head of the provisional administration of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Ali Shaath, arrived in Washington to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council chaired by Donald Trump, two Palestinian officials announced to AFP.

Ali Shaath will participate in this meeting "after receiving an invitation yesterday", declared a member of the body he heads, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). The Palestinian official, who is accompanied by the NCAG official in charge of finances, "must give a speech setting out the general framework of his plan for the first hundred days", a source close to the committee told AFP.

Marco Rubio will visit Israel on February 28

The head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio will visit Israel on February 28, amid tensions with Iran, an American official announced.

Marco Rubio will have talks there with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the same source, on condition of anonymity.

The trip by the US Secretary of State will come a week after the inaugural meeting in Washington of President Donald Trump's Peace Council, and as the United States says Iran would be "well advised" to conclude a deal to avoid US strikes.

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.