Map shows what would happen to Gaza under the US ‘master plan’
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/27/map-shows-what-would-happen-to-gaza-under-the-us-master-plan
At the World Economic Forum last week in Davos, Switzerland, Jared Kushner, a real estate developer and son-in-law of United States President Donald Trump, unveiled a “master plan” for post-war Gaza during a presentation.
The plan, which was contrived without any consultation with Palestinians in Gaza, promises to rebuild Gaza from scratch and includes residential towers, data centres, seaside resorts, parks, sports facilities and an airport.
The project forms part of Trump’s push to advance the Gaza ceasefire, which Israel has violated on a daily basis, killing nearly 500 people since it came into effect.
“I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location,” Trump said about the development plan. “And I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property, what it could be for so many people.
“We’re committed to ensuring that Gaza is demilitarised, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt,” Trump added.
Kushner did not specify who would fund the redevelopment. “As you guys know, peace is a different deal than a business deal, because you’re changing a mindset,” he said, calling the Gaza peace efforts “very entrepreneurial”.
He added that the reconstruction plan would only commence following full disarmament by Hamas and the withdrawal of the Israeli military after that.
So never?
The ‘Vegas-ification’ of Gaza
From an urban design perspective, this shift represents a radical change in the city’s identity. Ali A Alraouf, a professor of architecture and urbanism, describes this approach as the “Vegas-ification” of Gaza.
“The plan chases a visual image similar to Dubai or Las Vegas,” Alraouf notes, pointing to the rendering of glass towers and marinas. “Technically, this creates gated communities designed for a specific economic class, rather than an organic city fabric that serves the local population.”
Construction is expected to take two to three years, but no details were provided regarding housing for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians during this period.
Beyond the lofty promises, there were few details regarding the political future of Palestinians, with no mention of core issues such as property and land rights or a path to Palestinian statehood.
“Palestinians obviously have no voice whatsoever in this plan, there is no mention whatsoever of Israel, whether Israel will end its control and occupation of the Gaza Strip,” Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera following the announcement.
Trump’s redevelopment plan shows how closely it is aligned with the needs of Israel’s occupation, according to analyst Sultan Barakat. “The whole idea of displacing the Palestinians, pushing them out from Gaza, has not ended,” Barakat told Al Jazeera.
