Trump Unveils Gaza Redevelopment Plan Without Consulting Palestinians

The Chronify

January 25, 2026

US President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping redevelopment plan for Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos, proposing tourism hubs, skyscrapers and industrial zones. The plan, unveiled without Palestinian consultation, has drawn sharp criticism for sidelining local rights and realities.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a controversial plan to rebuild war-ravaged Gaza, outlining an ambitious vision of coastal tourism, high-rise buildings, industrial zones and half a million new jobs - without consulting Palestinians.

The proposal was presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, under the supervision of Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump himself. The board includes Jared Kushner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Permanent membership reportedly requires a $1 billion contribution, and its charter suggests ambitions extending beyond Gaza, raising concerns about challenging the role of the United Nations, reports UNB citing Al Jazeera.

According to Trump and Kushner, the four-phase redevelopment blueprint would begin in Rafah in southern Gaza and extend northward to Gaza City. The plan includes more than 100,000 housing units, 180 skyscrapers along the Mediterranean coast, a new international airport and multiple industrial zones. It claims to attract $25 billion in investment and boost Gaza’s GDP to $10 billion by 2035.

The proposal conditions reconstruction on the complete disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Governance would be handed to a Palestinian National Committee composed of technocrats, while Hamas members deemed cooperative could be integrated into a newly formed police force.

Palestinian civil society groups and analysts have strongly condemned the plan, describing it as “imperialist” and disconnected from Gaza’s realities. Critics argue it ignores Palestinian property rights, accountability for war crimes and the urgent needs of millions of displaced residents.

Gaza has been devastated by Israeli bombardment since October 2023, with more than 80% of infrastructure destroyed and nearly all of its 2.3 million residents displaced amid the collapse of healthcare, water and electricity systems.

Hamas rejected the proposal outright, saying Palestinians would never accept a plan imposed without their consent. Trump, however, defended the initiative as a “business-like” and “entrepreneurial” approach to post-war reconstruction.