With Hamas armed and Strip in ruins, Kushner’s vision for Gaza faces major obstacles |
Modern cities with sleek high-rises, a pristine coastline that attracts tourists and a state-of-the-art port that juts into the Mediterranean.
This is what Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, says Gaza could become, according to a presentation he gave at an economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In his 10-minute speech on Thursday, Kushner claimed it would be possible — if there’s security — to quickly rebuild Gaza’s cities, which are now in ruins after two years of war between Israel and the Hamas terror group.
“In the Middle East, they build cities like this… in three years,” said Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025. “And so stuff like this is very doable, if we make it happen.”
That timeline is at odds with what the United Nations and Palestinians expect will be a very long process to rehabilitate Gaza.
Across the territory of roughly 2 million people, former apartment blocks are hills of rubble, unexploded ordnance lurks beneath the wreckage, disease spreads because of sewage-tainted water and city streets look like dirt canyons.
The United Nations Office for Project Services says Gaza has more than 60 million tons of rubble, enough to fill nearly 3,000 container ships. That will take over seven years to clear, they say, and then additional time will be needed for de-mining.
Kushner spoke as Trump and an assortment of world leaders gathered to ratify the charter of the Board of Peace, the body that will oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction process.
Here are key takeaways from the presentation, and some questions raised by it:
Kushner said his reconstruction plan would only work if Gaza has “security” — a big “if.”
It remains uncertain whether Hamas will disarm. Clashes have continued amid the ceasefire, with three Israel Defense Forces soldiers and hundreds of Palestinians........