President Trump unveiled his international Board of Peace during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, expanding on his vision for a global body to rival the United Nations and claiming that Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was all but over.
“They’re down to little fires,” Trump said of the situation in the Palestinian enclave, which has been shattered by more than two years of fighting. “We can put them out very easily.”
Trump, 79, was the first to sign the charter inaugurating the board and was joined on stage by officials from more than 20 other countries — including Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
President Trump holds a signed founding charter at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
“We have peace in the Middle East, no one thought that was possible,” Trump proclaimed in brief remarks.
“Today the world is a safer, richer and much more peaceful place than it was one year ago.”
Trump also promised that the board would “work with many others, including the United Nations,” which the president has accused of straying from its original mission to resolve conflicts and promote peace and global security.
“I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza, we’re going to be very successful in Gaza,” he said, adding: “We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.”
“I think the combination of the Board of Peace with the kind of people we have here, coupled with the United Nations, can be something very, very unique for the world,” Trump went on.
“Together we are in a position to have an incredible chance — I don’t even call it a chance, I think it’s going to happen — to end decades of suffering, stop generations of hatred and bloodshed and forge a beautiful, everlasting and glorious peace for that region.”
President Trump shakes hands with Argentina President Javier Milei on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Getty Images
President Trump speaks at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
Moments later, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the board’s “first and foremost” job is “making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring” before turning its attention elsewhere.
The Board of Peace was conceptualized in September as part of the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner put forward to end the two-year Israel-Hamas conflict.
A resolution blessing the board’s role in supervising a transitional Palestinian government replacing Gaza’s Hamas rulers as well as an international peacekeeping force was ratified by the United Nations in November.
A plan for the reconstruction of Gaza is seen at the World Economic Forum. Getty Images
The 20-point plan ultimately calls for Hamas to lay down its arms, something the terror group has so far refused to do.
“If Hamas doesn’t do what they say they will do, they were born with rifles in their hands. But they have to give up their weapons. If they don’t do that, it’s totally the end of them,” Trump said Thursday.
Last week, the White House announced it was moving forward with “Phase Two” of the Gaza plan, despite Hamas’ failure to return the remains of Israeli counter-terror police Master Sgt. Ran “Rani’’ Gvili — believed to be the sole remaining victim of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack whose body is unaccounted for.
President Trump (center) poses with international leaders after the signing of a Board of Peace charter. AP
United States special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner after the signing ceremony. Getty Images
“We are committed that Hamas must return that last remaining deceased hostage and that will be the full committment and we’ll get on to bigger things,” Trump said Thursday. “We’re committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt.”
The president has repeatedly talked up Gaza’s potential as a tourism destination rivaling some of the gleaming modern cities of the Middle East like Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Kushner made no secret of the ultimate ambition for the Strip on Thursday, presenting a slide deck that included real estate development plans with “residential” and “coastal tourism mixed” zones, including 100,000 new housing units in Rafah, as well as the construction of a “New Gaza” City.
“It’s going to get a lot of work done that the United Nations should have done,” Trump told reporters Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland. AP
“In the Middle East, they build cities like this — 2, 3 million people — in three years, so stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen,” he said.
“This is a great location,” Trump affirmed in his closing remarks. “I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location.”