US pitches ‘New Gaza’ development plan; Israeli fire kills five Palestinians

Written by: Steve Holland, Rami Ayyub and Nidal al-Mughrabi

DAVOS, Switzerland/JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Jan 22 (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday announced plans for a greenfield “New Gaza” that would include residential towers, data centers and seaside resorts as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to advance the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that has been rocked by repeated violations.

Health officials in the Gaza Strip said five people died in the region in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the violence, which was the latest incident to break an October ceasefire agreement.

Trump transformed the ceasefire into a broader “Peace Board” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally.

After hosting a signing ceremony for the board in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Trump invited son-in-law Jared Kushner to present development plans for Gaza, the densely populated cities and towns now in ruins after two years of war.

Kushner told an audience in Davos about Trump’s plans to rebuild Gaza, where almost the entire population of 2 million has been internally displaced: “Initially we were working on (building) a free zone, and then we were trying to (have) a Hamas zone.”

“Then we said, ‘You know what? Let’s plan for catastrophic success.’

‘MASTER PLAN’

Kushner presented the audience with a slideshow depicting the “master plan” of what he called “New Gaza,” displayed on a color-coded map that included areas earmarked for housing development, data centers and industrial parks.

The slides featured an image of a Mediterranean coastline dotted with glittering towers similar to those in Dubai or Singapore. They suggested that redevelopment would begin in Rafah in the south, which is completely under Israeli military control.

But they did not address fundamental issues such as property rights or compensation for Palestinians who lost their homes, jobs and livelihoods during the war. They also did not address where displaced Palestinians might live during reconstruction.

Kushner did not say who would fund the redevelopment, which would first require clearing about 68 million tons of rubble and war debris.

Without going into detail, Kushner said a conference will be held in Washington in the coming weeks “where we will announce many of the contributions from the private sector.”

The slides Kushner showed were nearly identical to slides leaked to the Wall Street Journal in December. The newspaper later reported that the US had offered to “fix” 20% of the redevelopment project, without elaborating.

Trump floated the idea of ​​turning Gaza, long impoverished and devastated, into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” an idea that drew criticism from Palestinians.

RAFAH PASSAGE

Kushner’s presentation in Davos followed statements by Palestinian technocrat leader Ali Shaath, who is backed by Washington to govern the region under Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.

A key element of the ceasefire that was not fulfilled was the reopening of Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt for Palestinian entry and exit. Speaking via video link, Shaath announced that the Rafah gate will open next week.

“The opening of Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer closed to the future and war,” Shaath said.

Israel, which controls the Gaza side of the crossing, has refused to reopen the crossing until Hamas fulfills its ceasefire obligation to return the remains of the last hostage held in the area.

Following Shaath’s statement, an Israeli political source said that a special effort was being made to return Ran Gvili’s body and that Israel would discuss reopening the crossing starting next week.

CONTINUOUS VIOLENCE

The next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan would involve the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of international peacekeepers to the populous coastal area, along with a further withdrawal of Israeli troops. In the first phase, Israel took control of more than half of Gaza and Hamas retained some territory along the coast.

Israel continued to launch air and artillery strikes in Gaza, often accusing Hamas militants of preparing attacks on its troops or encroaching on areas it controls.

Health officials at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest hospital, said four Palestinians were killed by Israeli tank shelling in the eastern Gaza City suburb of Zeitoun on Thursday. A fifth person died in Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis in the south, health officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the matter.

The day before, 11 people, including two boys and three journalists, were killed by Israeli fire, health officials said. On Thursday, Palestinians in Gaza held a funeral for three journalists who press advocates say used drones to film tents housing displaced people.

The Israeli military said, without providing evidence, that the drone they operated was “linked to Hamas” and “posed a threat to (the soldiers’) security.” The military said soldiers “point-blank shot the suspects operating the drone.”

Health officials say Israel has killed more than 480 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect, while militants have killed three Israeli soldiers.

According to Israeli calculations, Israel launched the air and ground war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led cross-border attack that resulted in 1,200 deaths. Health officials say 71,000 Palestinians died in Israel’s offensive.

(Reporting by Steven Holland, Rami Ayyub, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Pesha Magid; editing by Mark Heinrich)