Israel blocks construction of Board of Peace Gaza base, stalling Trump ceasefire plan
Israel has not allowed a contracted military outpost for Donald Trump's Board of Peace to be built in Gaza, leaving contractors and trucks unable to cross the border two months after the project was awarded in early August 2026, according to the Guardian and a person with direct knowledge.
Israel blocks construction of Board of Peace Gaza base, stalling Trump ceasefire plan
The first construction contract of Donald Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza has stalled at the border: Israel is refusing to let the project proceed, according to the Guardian's reporting and a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
A base that cannot start
In early August 2026, the Board of Peace issued its first construction contract for Gaza, awarding it to Louisiana-based Arkel International. The job: build a military outpost for 150 international troops, intended as the vanguard of an international stabilization force.
The planned structure, known as a "mission support site temporary outpost", is a fortified position of about 100 meters by 100 meters. But two months after the contract was issued, Israel had still not permitted it to move forward, and contractors and trucks have not been allowed to cross into Gaza, according to a person with direct knowledge.
The 150 troops would deploy on short rotations, forming part of a contingent of 500 that Morocco and Kosovo have already provided.
Why the border stays shut
The person familiar with the matter put the obstacle plainly:
"Israel won't open the border."
According to the source, without this contract the rest of the Board of Peace program cannot launch. Entry, rebuilding, security, construction deliveries and utilities all depend on the international stabilization force being in place.
A Board of Peace spokesperson, the Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli government all declined to comment.
What the Board of Peace is
Behind the blocked base stands a body created last year. The UN gave it authorization in 2025, and Donald Trump sits at its head. The organization owes its existence to the ceasefire that took hold in Gaza in October 2025, and it anchors Trump's assertions that he ended the fighting there.
Trump's title on the board is chair for life. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff hold seats on its executive board. Twenty-eight countries signed on as founding members earlier this year, though many western democracies have kept their distance.
The wider reconstruction plan at stake
The blocked base sits at the front of a larger Gaza reconstruction effort. On 23 September, the Board of Peace unveiled what it said was a six-month, $2.45bn plan as the first step toward reconstruction, with a 10-year estimated cost of $71bn.
The board's expectation is that the standoff is temporary. It believes Israel's government will let the project proceed after the Israeli elections scheduled for 27 October. Until then, the contract - and the stabilization force behind it - remains stuck at the border.
