US President Donald Trump presided over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday, with unresolved questions on the likelihood of war with Iran hanging over an event that included representatives from more than 45 nations.
The president said that he would "find out about Iran in about 10 days," Trump added. "We do have some work to do in Iran. They can't have a nuclear weapon."
Regarding the future of Gaza, Trump said he believed "Hamas will be getting rid of their weapons."
"They said 'they're not afraid to die,' but they are," he added. "The war in Gaza is over. It’s over," he said, admitting that "there are little flames."
Trump also said that it seems to him that Hamas will disarm.
"Hamas has been, I think they’re going to give up their weapons, which is what they promised," he said. "If they don’t, it’ll be, you know, they’ll be harshly met, very harshly met. They don’t want that."
Trump said that various US allies have contributed over $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza, and that the US would contribute around $10 billion.
He went on to say that the Board of Peace will be "looking over" the United Nations, which he referred to as having "great potential."
"The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly," he said. "We're going to strengthen the United Nations. We're going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money-wise. We're going to help them money-wise, and we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable."
He also made a point to note that he "doesn't care" about winning any awards for his efforts.
"I don't care about Nobel prizes," he said. "I care about saving lives."
Addressing the various dignitaries in attendance, Trump called out Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani by name, saying he is "a great man, highly respected."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that there was "no plan B" for Gaza other than President Donald Trump's peace effort, as the new body met for the first time in Washington to discuss ways to build on a fragile ceasefire that began in October.
"We have to get this right. There is no plan B for Gaza. Plan B is going back to war. No one here wants that," Rubio said.
The disarmament of Hamas terrorists, the size of the reconstruction fund, and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead.
Trump addressed the group at the Donald J Trump US Institute of Peace - a building in Washington, the president recently renamed for himself - and announced that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund.
The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is an expected $1.2 billion from each of Washington's Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a US official told Reuters.
Trump's Board of Peace has been controversial. It includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives, and Trump's suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the UN's role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Senior US officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza
Disarming Hamas terrorists in order for the peacekeepers to begin their mission remains a major sticking point, and the force is not expected to deploy for weeks or months.
Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump's 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a ceasefire last October in the two-year Israel-Hamas War.
"We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back," a senior administration official said.
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