The Peace Committee, led by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, has issued the first construction contract in the devastated territory, prioritizing security infrastructure over homes for two million displaced people.
The first construction contract issued by Trump's Peace Committee for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip is not for residential buildings or critical infrastructure for the civilian population, but for the construction of a military base. The facility is intended to house a contingent of Moroccan soldiers, revealing the priorities in the plan for the future of the devastated Palestinian territory.
The Guardian has confirmed this information from a source familiar with the matter, and the contract has been awarded to the American company Arkel International, based in Louisiana, which has previously worked for the U.S. government in countries such as Iraq. Although the contract is not yet finalized, its nature clearly signals that the security aspect is being prioritized over the humanitarian one, despite the catastrophic conditions in which the local population lives.
The planned base, measuring just 100 x 120 meters, is intended to accommodate 150 soldiers from the Moroccan contingent who would rotate from a base in Israel. The location is in an area directly controlled by the Israeli military, which covers 60% of Gaza's territory. The source told the Guardian that the base is about a kilometer and a half from the Israeli border and will have a secure "fast evacuation route" in case of attack.
This project is just the first phase of a much more ambitious plan. According to earlier contract drafts seen by the Guardian, a later phase envisions the construction of a military base for up to 5,000 people, which would include combat positions for vehicles, a defensive berm, and basic facilities for the short-term deployment of international stabilization forces (ISF). The first phase would consist of tents, sleeping cots, chemical toilets, and hand-washing stations.
Trump's Peace Committee was established in January 2026, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump. It is operationally managed by a team in which his son-in-law Jared Kushner and longtime friend Steve Witkoff are key figures. At the committee's first meeting, Kushner presented a grandiose plan for building "New Gaza," a modern coastal city with multi-purpose towers.
A Peace Committee official confirmed in an email that, along with the National Committee for Gaza Governance, a group of Palestinian technocrats, they are "in the final stages of preparing several contract awards. None have been finalized yet." He added that this contract will be "one of many that are crucial for Gaza's future."
The news of the first construction comes at a time when at least 80% of buildings in Gaza lie damaged or destroyed, and most of the two million residents still live in makeshift and unsanitary camps, ten months after the ceasefire was reached. Trump announced back in February 2025 that the U.S. would "take over and own Gaza."
The UN resolution that gave the Peace Committee its mandate authorized the establishment of international stabilization forces. Morocco has promised a small contingent of troops, but the legal framework for their deployment has not yet been finalized, and it is unknown when it could begin.
