US president Donald Trump on Thursday gathers allies to inaugurate the "Board of Peace," his new institution focused on progress on Gaza but whose ambitions reach much further.

Around two dozen world leaders or other senior officials have come to Washington for the meeting -- including several of Trump's authoritarian-leaning friends and virtually none of the European democrats that traditionally sign on to US initiatives.

The "Board of Peace" came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza.

The United States says that the plan has now entered its second phase with a focus on disarming Hamas -- the Palestinian militant group whose unprecedented 7 October, 2023, attack on Israel triggered the massive offensive.