WASHINGTON — The White House is planning to host a leaders’ summit on Feb. 19 focused on advancing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and mobilizing international funding for reconstruction in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, Axios reported Friday, citing U.S. and diplomatic sources.According to the report, the meeting would serve as the inaugural gathering of the Gaza “Board of Peace” and would also function as a donor conference aimed at supporting post-war reconstruction efforts.“It will be the first Board of Peace meeting and a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction,” Axios quoted a U.S. official as saying.The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has begun contacting dozens of countries to invite leaders and coordinate logistics, the report said.The summit is expected to be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, though officials cautioned that plans remain preliminary.“Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the administration is planning it and has started checking which leaders are able to attend,” one source told Axios.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Feb. 18, one day before the proposed summit.Netanyahu has accepted Trump’s invitation for Israel to join the Board of Peace but has not yet signed its charter, according to the report.If Netanyahu attends the Feb. 19 gathering, it would mark his first public appearance alongside Arab and Muslim leaders since before the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in the Gaza Strip.The summit plans remain at an early stage and could still change.
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