Can Trump's 'Board of Peace' Actually Keep Gaza's Ceasefire?

When a "ceasefire" leaves 600 people dead, what exactly are we calling peace? That's the uncomfortable question hanging over Trump's newly minted Board of Peace as it prepares for its first formal meeting this Thursday in Washington, DC.

Hamas isn't buying the current arrangement. In a pointed video statement, spokesman Hazem Qassem called on Trump's board to force Israel to stop what he termed "ongoing violations" of the Gaza deal that was supposed to end the bloodshed.

The Numbers Don't Lie

"The war of genocide against the Strip is still ongoing – through killing, displacement, siege, and starvation – which has not stopped until this very moment," Qassem declared. The Gaza Health Ministry backs up his claims with stark figures: over 600 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the Hamas-Israel truce began on October 10, 2025, with at least 1,600 others wounded.

Just this week, Israeli artillery shelled Gaza City's Tuffah neighborhood while tanks opened fire in Khan Younis. A drone strike in al-Maghraqa sent another wounded civilian to the hospital. Israeli naval gunboats detained two Palestinian fishermen. The demolitions of residential areas continue in both north and south Gaza.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis deepens. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman revealed that less than 60 percent of crucial aid shipments from Egypt are being allowed into Gaza. "Humanitarian movements that require coordination with Israeli authorities also continue to face obstacles," he noted.

Trump's Diplomatic Gambit

Enter Trump's Board of Peace – a body that emerged from January's World Economic Forum in Davos with considerable fanfare. Initially designed to oversee Gaza's truce and reconstruction, the board has since expanded its mission to tackle international conflicts worldwide. Nineteen countries have signed its founding charter so far.

But here's where it gets interesting: critics worry Trump is creating a rival to the United Nations. The board, with Trump as chairman, represents either an innovative approach to conflict resolution or a dangerous undermining of established international institutions – depending on your perspective.

The Mediator's Paradox

The fundamental tension is impossible to ignore. The United States brokered the Gaza ceasefire while simultaneously serving as Israel's primary military supplier. Hamas clearly sees this contradiction, warning against Israel "using this council as a cover to continue the war on Gaza and to prevent reconstruction."

Palestinians in the war-battered territory are still waiting for the second phase of the peace agreement to take full effect. That includes lifting the siege, opening crossings properly, and allowing the entry of technocrats chosen to govern Gaza's reconstruction. Instead, Hamas complains of only "partial and minimal opening" accompanied by continued violations.