Trump Opens First Meeting of “Peace Council”
ARK News.. U.S. President Donald Trump inaugurated the first meeting of the newly formed “Peace Council” in Washington on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, stressing that the situation in the Gaza Strip is complex and that peace is not easy to achieve, while pledging to establish “good governance in Gaza.”
In his opening remarks, Trump said, “Nothing is more important than peace, and war costs far more than peace.”
He described the Peace Council as one of his administration’s achievements, alongside what he called the end of several wars.
Trump acknowledged that conditions in Gaza remain complicated, noting that peace would not be easy but expressing confidence that “this council will achieve major accomplishments.” He added, “We have achieved peace in the Middle East.”
Addressing the situation with Hamas, Trump said the group would honor its commitments under the Gaza agreement, “or we will confront it firmly,” adding that Hamas had pledged to hand over its weapons.
Regarding the potential deployment of U.S. forces, the president stated, “I do not believe it will be necessary to send troops to fight in Gaza.”
He further asserted that “Gaza is no longer a hub for extremism and terrorism,” and noted that Egypt would provide training and support to a trusted Palestinian force.
Trump reiterated his administration’s commitment to achieving a situation in which Gaza would be governed responsibly.
He also announced that Washington would allocate $10 billion to Gaza through the Peace Council, adding that nine members had pledged $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package.
The president said several U.S. allies had contributed more than $7 billion in relief efforts for Gaza, naming Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait as contributors.
Trump added that the UN Office for Humanitarian Assistance was mobilizing $2 billion to support Gaza, while FIFA would help raise $75 million for football-related projects in the territory. He also said that China and Russia would contribute to reconstruction efforts.
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