Why is Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace facing a funding shortfall?

Key points

• Experts say the lack of a political horizon and Israeli land grabs are deterring donors from funding Gaza’s reconstruction.
• The Board of Peace, which was founded by United States President Donald Trump in January to oversee the administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, is facing a crippling cash crunch that threatens to derail its ambitious $70bn reconstruction plan for the devastated enclave.
• The US-led board recently reported a critical gap between its financial commitments and actual disbursements, warning of an urgent liquidity crisis, according to the Reuters news agency.
• However, experts tracking international aid to Palestinians said the funding shortfall is neither surprising nor purely administrative.
• Instead, they argued that the reluctance of Arab and European donors stems from the board’s controversial structure, a lack of a viable political horizon for a Palestinian state and Israel’s ongoing military expansion across the besieged enclave.