US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Wednesday outlined plans for Gaza, saying parts of the ruined Palestinian enclave could be rebuilt within three years.
He encouraged the private sector to jump at the "amazing investment opportunities" in the massive redevelopment project.
Mr Kushner, a key Middle East adviser to Mr Trump, has been instrumental in pushing his vision of turning a ruined Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East", a term that drew widespread condemnation.
During a nine-minute presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Kushner described the redevelopment plan as "New Gaza".
"It could be a hope. It could be a destination, have a lot of industry, and really be a place that the people there can thrive, have great employment," he said. "We think that this really gives the Gazan people an opportunity to live their aspirations."
Mr Kushner presented a brief slide show that included artist renderings of a completely reconstructed enclave, replete with skyscrapers, glitzy apartment buildings, parks and sports facilities. He did not say what would happen to the Palestinians during this mega project, although earlier versions included their temporary displacement while building takes place.
Israel's war in Gaza, which started after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, has left the enclave almost entirely in ruins. About 60 million tonnes of rubble from collapsed buildings covers the strip, much of it strewn with unexploded bombs.
Still, Mr Kushner expressed optimism Gaza will be redeveloped and that Hamas would relinquish any claim to control it.
"In the beginning, we were toying with the idea of saying, 'Let's build a free zone, and then we have a Hamas zone'," he said. "Then we said, 'You know what? Let's just plan for catastrophic success'.
"Hamas signed a deal to demilitarise. That is what we are going to enforce. People ask us what our Plan B is. We do not have a Plan B. We have a plan. We signed an agreement. We are all committed to making that agreement work."
The US last week said the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which Mr Trump brokered last year, is now under way.
The second phase establishes a “transitional, technocratic Palestinian administration” – the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – and begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of the enclave. But Israel continues to bomb Gaza and Hamas retains control of parts of the territory.
Mr Kushner said the development project would require more than $25 billion in funding for utilities and services, at least $1.5 billion in vocational schools to retrain Palestinians and more than $3 billion for commercial zones and business districts.
According to his slideshow, a redeveloped Gaza would generate more than $10 billion in GDP by 2035 and the average household income would be $13,000.
Mr Kushner did not specify where the funding would come from, but said an investment conference would take place in Washington "in a couple of weeks".
"There'll be amazing investment opportunities," he said. "It's a little risky to be investing in a place like this, but we need you to come, take faith, invest in the people, try to be a part of it."
Mr Kushner said Rafah, which was dubbed "New Rafah" could be entirely rebuilt within three years.
"We've already started removing the rubble and doing some of the demolition," he said.
He also credited Yakir Gabay, a Cypriot-Israeli real estate developer, for his role in the Gaza "master plan".
Khalil Jahshan, executive director of the Arab Centre Washington DC, said Mr Kushner’s Davos presentation was akin to a “real estate public relations project”.
“It's essentially an American attempt to try to rescue Israel from its foolish endeavours in Gaza," Mr Jahshan told The National.
“How do you get these people to [go] ... from being in a tent swept by the currents of the rain in the refugee camps of Gaza to living in these multimillion-dollar condos that Mr Trump and his son-in-law want to build for them?“
"It's not for them because they can't afford them," he added.
Mr Jahshan said a major concern is the absence of Palestinian participation in the peace plan and the lack of representation on Mr Trump's newly formed Board of Peace.
Another concern is the inclusion of leaders and nations on the board with seemingly little connection to Palestine and the region, he added.
