A $2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan

The U.S.-led Board of Peace unveiled a six-month reconstruction blueprint including debris removal, temporary housing, hospital rebuilding, and electricity and water restoration.

“The plan shows how to stand up a government from nothing, an economy from shambles, and a territory from disaster.”

The plan supports Trump's peace agenda

The 66-project blueprint is designed to support Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which he has repeatedly cited as proof he ended the nearly three-year war.

But the ceasefire remains precarious

Fighting continues in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least four people on Wednesday, and the Israeli military refuses to withdraw from large swaths of territory.

Hamas and Israel remain at odds

Hamas has resisted efforts to give up its armaments while Israel maintains military control over Gaza, blocking progress toward the political settlement the plan assumes.

Gaza's humanitarian crisis persists

The U.N. reports overcrowding, poor shelter, unsafe drinking water, and chronic malnutrition affecting 12.2 percent of children under age five despite the ceasefire.

Women face mounting hardship

Palestinian women now head nearly one in four households after their husbands were killed, detained, injured, or went missing during the conflict.

The plan covers only a fraction

Full reconstruction will cost around $35.2 billion over the medium term and another $71.4 billion over the next ten years, far exceeding the current six-month proposal.

U.S. Secretary of State tempers expectations

Marco Rubio acknowledged the plan is not a complete solution but said it offers hope by showing Gazans what the future could hold if everyone cooperates.

“Obviously this is a long-term project. It's not something that can happen in six months.”

Macron dismisses Trump's peace claims

French President Emmanuel Macron said the supposed peace has not reopened humanitarian access and called the situation a spectacle that should shame the world.

“Some boast of a supposed peace, but that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second.”

Iran defies U.S. threats at the U.N.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech vowing never to surrender to the United States, just hours after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran.

Iran warns Gulf allies about sanctions

Pezeshkian warned that Iran will target its Gulf neighbors if they comply with new U.S. secondary sanctions aimed at punishing companies serving Iranian civilian aircraft.

AI executives brief the Security Council

Leaders from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face discussed AI risks to international security and urged adoption of benchmarks to assess safeguards and measure capabilities.

Trump opposes global AI regulation

Trump rejected any globalist scheme to control AI, saying he will not stifle growth of something bigger than the Industrial Revolution, while Chinese AI firms declined to participate in oversight discussions.

“I'm not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution.”

Morocco holds parliamentary elections

Candidates from 27 parties competed for 395 seats on Wednesday, with the ruling coalition likely to retain power despite youth protests over World Cup spending and a migration crisis.