The United States on Thursday unveiled plans for a “New Gaza,” to be rebuilt after the region faced widespread destruction during the Israel-Hamas war.
It comes after President Donald Trump negotiated a ceasefire deal, which included a plan for Trump to chair a Board of Peace and head an “economic development plan” to “rebuild and energize Gaza.”
Trump was in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum, where he delivered remarks Wednesday focused on his desire to have the U.S. to acquire Greenland, which is currently controlled by Denmark.
On Thursday, Trump participated in a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace.
“As everyone can see today, the first steps toward a brighter day for the Middle East and a much safer future for the world are unfolding right before your eyes,” he said.
So far, more than two dozen countries have signed on to be part of the Board of Peace, but none of the United States’ key European allies have joined.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented the pitch to other world leaders about the “New Gaza” plans, after the war-torn Gaza Strip was decimated during the war.
“In the beginning, we were toying with (building) a free zone, and then (having) a Hamas zone,” Kushner said. “And then we said, you know what? Let’s just plan for catastrophic success.”
Kushner, who was central in negotiating the ceasefire deal alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff, presented the “master plan,” which included a map with areas for residential development and more.
The renderings are earning some criticism online, as they show large buildings along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The plans were in motion for months after negotiations for the ceasefire deal ended.
Under the 21-point peace plan, which Trump is hoping to recreate for the Russia-Ukraine war, all remaining hostages living and dead in Hamas control were released to Israel. Members of Hamas who commit to nonviolence and want to remain in Gaza will receive amnesty and those who wish to leave the territory were provided safe passage.
Israeli troops were set to withdraw from Gaza to an agreed upon line and the Rafah border crossing was set to be opened for the flow of humanitarian aid to reach Gazans.
What is the ‘Board of Peace’?
The United States was set to work with Arab countries to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force deployed in Gaza, which provides support to Palestinian police, secures borders, prevents munitions from entering Gaza and helps facilitate the aid deliveries.
The plan said Gaza was to be governed by a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” that will help return the state to regular day-to-day running. The committee is to be overseen by an international body called the Board of Peace, which will be overseen by Trump and other world leaders.
Kushner shared Thursday that a conference will be held in Washington in the following weeks, where “a lot” will be announced regarding the contributions made, particularly as he did not say who would be funding the redevelopment plans in Gaza.
It’s estimated that there is 68 million tons of rubble and debris from the war that would need to be cleared, Reuters reported.
It’s the latest development in Trump’s plan to put money and resources into the demolished region after previously floating the idea that Gaza should become the “Riviera of the Middle East.”