ALGEMEINER
Hamas Tightens Grip in Gaza as Trump Pushes Peace Plan
Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
February 19, 2026

Hamas is cementing its hold over Gaza by placing loyalists in key government roles, collecting taxes, and paying salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment seen by Reuters and sources in the Palestinian enclave. Hamas’s continuing influence over key Gaza power structures has fueled widespread skepticism about the prospects of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which requires the terrorist group to give up its weapons in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Trump‘s international Board of Peace, which is meant to supervise Gaza‘s transitional governance, held its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday…Israeli military officials say Hamas, which refuses to disarm, has been taking advantage of an October ceasefire to reassert control in areas vacated by Israeli troops. Israel still holds over half of Gaza, but nearly all its 2 million people are in Hamas-held areas. READ MORE

THE HILL 5 takeaways from Trump’s Board of Peace launch event President Trump on Thursday gathered representatives from nearly 50 countries in Washington D.C. to mark an inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace. The meeting laid out the Trump administration’s plan for the next phase of the U.S. peace plan for the Gaza Strip, but the president also touted the potential for the board to tackle other conflicts…European nations in particular have largely held back from signing up for Trump’s broader vision for the Board of Peace, which was originally endorsed in a United Nations Security Council resolution in October.