Deir El Bala – On Thursday, US President Donald Trump convened the first meeting of the Committee on Peace (BoP) in Washington, DC, but Palestinians in the Gaza Strip did not discuss diplomatic language or a political framework.
In the streets and tents of south-central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians struggle to survive, a simple question dominates: Will anything actually change in the harsh reality on the ground?
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“I’ve heard that money is being collected for Gaza, but I don’t see anything. Things like this have happened many times and nothing changes,” said Amal Judeh, 43, who lives in a tent in Deir El Bala.
“I am one of those who lost my home. I still don’t have a home. My husband is injured, my children are injured. We want all the help, all the reconstruction, all the solutions,” said the mother of eight who fled the northern Gaza town of Beit Rahiya.
Speaking at a meeting in Washington, D.C., President Trump announced that nine member states have pledged $7 billion to a reconstruction fund for the Gaza Strip, and five countries have agreed to send troops to the Palestinian territory for the International Stabilization Force.
He said the United States would also contribute $10 billion to the BoP, but did not say how the money would be used.
But the promise remains far short of the United Nations’ estimate of up to $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territories destroyed by constant Israeli shelling during more than two years of genocidal war.
Little has changed since a “ceasefire” agreement brokered by President Trump went into effect last October.
Most Palestinians still struggle to feed their families, and health, education, and sanitation services are nearly non-existent.
The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire since the cease-fire, but Palestinians had hoped for an end to more than two years of genocidal war that has killed more than 72,000 people, according to official figures.
“Every day, Israel kills people, bombs, violates ceasefire agreements and expands the buffer zone unchecked,” said Awad al-Ghoul, a 70-year-old Palestinian who fled Tal al-Sultan in Rafah and now lives in a tent in the town of al-Zawaida.
“If a peace commission of this size can’t get Israel to stop attacking small places like Gaza, how are we going to resolve conflicts around the world?” Al Ghoul said, referring to President Trump’s stated intention that the council would intervene in other international disputes, not just Gaza.
Allocated funds: Real support or rhetoric?
Many people in Gaza, who had pinned their hopes on international donor conferences in the past without any tangible results, were skeptical of the numbers.
Al-Ghoul said he did not believe that all of these funds would go to Gaza.
“Some of it will go to Gaza, and the rest will go to administrative costs and lavish salaries for government officials and the president. Some will go to Gaza so they can say they are supporting Gaza and justify the continued existence of an exclusive club called the Peace Committee.” p>
“So this project was a failure from the start, with an unclear vision that, like the failure of the American aid distribution foundation a year ago, became a death trap for thousands of people.”
Jamal Abu Makde agrees.
“They won’t do anything for Gaza. It’s all a lie,” said the 66-year-old. “It would definitely not be in our interest for Israel to agree,” he told Al Jazeera in Deir El Bala.
“President Trump, along with Israel, wants to use the Peace Commission to impose their decisions on the world by force. This is about power, domination and control, and does not take into account weak states like ours,” he added.
Over the past two years, reconstruction plans have been discussed after each ceasefire agreement in Gaza. However, Israel’s restrictions on imports of construction materials have prevented the full implementation of these commitments.
“Even if the Council decides to rebuild Gaza, it is unlikely and will not happen. We have heard this many times and nothing has happened,” he added.
“How can we trust a peace commission of which Israel is a member? It is the author of our killing, destruction and genocide.”
While Abu Makde insists he is not optimistic about the board’s decision, he also expresses concern about President Trump and Israel’s insistence on disarming Hamas. Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is required to surrender its weapons.
“Their main objective is to disarm Hamas so that we get involved in internal conflicts and civil wars,” he added.
He said he believed talk of peace was deceptive, noting that parallel to the deepening tragedy in the Gaza Strip, violations continued in the occupied West Bank, including the destruction of Palestinian homes and property, the expansion of settlements, and restrictions on normal life.
“There is no optimism about the US decision. This is just a media story.”
Al-Ghoul expressed cautious optimism about the idea of sending international peacekeeping forces to Gaza.
“Personally, I would like to see this force deployed, but like UNIFIL in Lebanon, it must act as a deterrent against continued Israeli attacks. I don’t think Israel will attack the forces imposed by the Trump-controlled peace committee,” he says.
Reconstruction: The biggest absence in the speech
Despite mentions of “stability” and “peace,” the council’s announcement did not include any specific decisions on rebuilding Gaza or infrastructure destroyed in two years of war.
For Al Ghul, reconstruction is not a priority if Israel continues to violate the ceasefire.
“There is no value in rebuilding if Israel’s hands continue to destroy and kill. What is the point in rebuilding while Israel is destroying?”
But Jowda said she hoped life for herself and her children would improve “as before,” with schools reopening and children returning to classrooms after a long hiatus and moving from tents to sturdy homes.
Far from an international council, the demands of the people of Gaza are summarized in a few words: security, peace, and return to their homeland.
“My request is to return to the Rafah neighborhood that has been occupied for a year and a half…even if it is in a tent,” Al Ghoul says.
“What’s important is that the military leaves and we get back to where we were.”
Abu Maqde summed up his demands as wanting these converging countries to achieve justice for Gaza once and for all.
“We are exhausted. They must be shown mercy. We demand that we live in peace and be given a simple life with the fundamental right to security, which is good for our people.”
