The real test of Trump’s Gaza plan is not reconstruction. It is disarmament.
On Feb. 19, President Donald Trump will convene leaders from more than 20 countries to formalize pledges totaling some $5 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction. But behind the headlines lies the unresolved question that will determine whether any rebuilding can last: What happens to Hamas’ weapons?
A senior State Department official told MBN Washington Bureau Chief Joe Kawly the meeting marks a turning point for the administration. “Reconstruction without demilitarization is unsustainable,” the official said. “If Hamas retains heavy weapons, you don’t have stabilization. You have a temporary pause before the next war.”
That tension defines the summit. Trump has publicly demanded full Hamas disarmament as a condition for Phase 2 of the ceasefire. This phase moves beyond simply stopping the fighting to focus on dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities, starting an Israeli withdrawal, establishing new Palestinian technocratic governance structures, and beginning Gaza’s reconstruction and security transition. Israel has set a 60-day timeline for Hamas compliance, warning that failure would trigger renewed military operations. Hamas continues to describe disarmament as non-negotiable, though it has floated transferring weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority rather than surrendering them outright.
A Gulf diplomat following the talks said donors are closely watching the security track. “The money is real,” the diplomat told MBN. “But no Gulf state wants to finance reconstruction that can be destroyed in the next round of fighting.”
Washington’s emerging plan would dismantle heavy weapons and weapons manufacturing sites in stages, pairing compliance with economic incentives and conditional legal protection for certain fighters. The State Department official acknowledged that the process would take months and depend on verification mechanisms that do not yet exist.
At the same time, an International Stabilization Force is taking shape. Indonesia has committed troops, and other countries are weighing participation. Saudi Arabia has declined to send forces. The United Arab Emirates will provide humanitarian aid but will not deploy troops. Turkey’s participation remains blocked by Israel, which opposes Ankara taking a security role because of its support for Hamas.
The Palestinian technocratic body intended to administer Gaza remains outside the territory, waiting for security conditions that have yet to materialize. No Palestinian representative sits on the Board of Peace’s top decision-making tiers — a gap that several Arab states are quietly urging Washington to address.
For now, the structure exists. The pledges are lined up. Diplomacy is active.
Until the weapons question is resolved, however, the framework rests on a fragile assumption: That money can secure stability before security itself is guaranteed.
Joe Kawly
Joe Kawly is a veteran global affairs journalist with over two decades of frontline reporting across Washington, D.C. and the Middle East. A CNN Journalism Fellow and Georgetown University graduate, his work focuses on U.S. foreign policy, Arab world politics, and diplomacy. With deep regional insight and narrative clarity, Joe focuses on making complex global dynamics clear, human, and relevant.
