Newsletters
The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza spanning approximately 350 acres, according to Board of Peace contracting records reviewed by The Guardian.
The site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), a planned multinational force composed of pledged troops. The ISF falls under the newly created Board of Peace, established to govern Gaza.
The Board of Peace is chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The documents call for phased construction of a military outpost with a footprint of 1,400 by 1,100 meters. The compound would be surrounded by barbed wire and equipped with 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, bunkers, a small arms range and a warehouse for military equipment.
Plans include a network of bunkers measuring 6 by 4 meters and 2.5 meters high, fitted with ventilation systems for protection. The document states that contractors must conduct geophysical surveys to identify “subterranean voids, tunnels, or large cavities,” likely referring to Hamas’ tunnel network in Gaza.
A “Human Remains Protocol” section requires that work cease if suspected human remains or cultural artifacts are discovered. Gaza’s civil defense agency estimates that about 10,000 Palestinian bodies remain buried under rubble.
The fortification is planned for an arid area of southern Gaza, currently largely under Israeli control. The U.N. estimates that at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war. It remains unclear who owns the land designated for the base.
The U.N. Security Council authorized the Board of Peace to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force tasked with securing Gaza’s border, maintaining peace, protecting civilians and training and supporting “vetted Palestinian police forces.”
Indonesia has reportedly offered to send up to 8,000 troops. Its president was among four Southeast Asian leaders scheduled to attend an inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C.
It remains unclear what the ISF’s rules of engagement would be in the event of renewed Israeli bombardment or attacks by Hamas, or what role it would play in disarming Hamas; an Israeli condition for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Although more than 20 countries have joined the Board of Peace, much of the international community has not. While established with UN approval, its charter appears to grant Trump permanent leadership and control.
Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University, described the Board as “a kind of legal fiction,” saying it appears separate from both the U.N. and the U.S. but functions as a mechanism for U.S. control.
Experts cited by The Guardian say the funding and governance structures of the Board of Peace remain unclear. Several contractors reportedly told the publication that discussions with U.S. officials have at times taken place on Signal rather than through official government email channels.
According to a source familiar with the process, the contracting document for the base was issued by the Board of Peace and prepared with assistance from U.S. contracting officials.
Officials from U.S. Central Command referred questions about the base to the Board of Peace. A Trump administration official declined to comment on the contract, stating: “As the President has said, no U.S. boots will be on the ground. We’re not going to discuss leaked documents.”
Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former peace negotiator, questioned the legality of constructing a military base on Palestinian land without governmental approval, asking: “Whose permission did they get to build that military base?”
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
