"We confirm the conference will be held on 19/2. This will be the Peace Council's inaugural meeting and a fundraising conference for Gaza's reconstruction," an unnamed US government official told media on 7/2.

The meeting is expected at the US Institute of Peace, which President Trump renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace late last year. US officials indicated the meeting aims partly at fundraising, with further details pending.

President Trump holds up the Peace Council Charter at the signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, on 22/1. Photo: AFP

The list of participating nations and the level of representation remain unclear. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on 7/2 that he would travel to Washington in two weeks to attend the Peace Council meeting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to visit the White House to meet Trump on 18/2, one day before the Peace Council conference, despite Israel not yet being a formal member of the organization.

US President Donald Trump signed the Peace Council Charter late last month, marking the launch of the international body he initiated. The signing ceremony took place in Davos, Switzerland, with representatives from nearly 20 nations attending.

Initially, Trump envisioned the Peace Council as a small group of world leaders tasked with overseeing the Gaza Strip peace plan. However, the body has since expanded, with invitations extended to about 60 nations, and hints that it will soon mediate global conflicts, akin to a "miniature Security Council".

Ngoc Anh (Reuters, CNN, Axios)