GAZA, Aug. 7: The Gaza Board of Peace, established in January under U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, has issued its first construction contract, with plans to build a military base as the project’s initial facility, according to The Guardian.
The report, published on Friday, said the proposed base will accommodate up to 150 Moroccan troops. The contract has reportedly been awarded to Louisiana-based Arkel International, a company that has previously undertaken projects for the U.S. government in Iraq. However, the agreement has not yet been finalized.
The Board of Peace is chaired by President Trump and led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and close adviser Steve Witkoff.
A board official said the organization, together with a team of Palestinian technocrats known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, is in the final stages of preparing several reconstruction contracts, although none have been formally approved.
According to the official, the proposed construction is intended to support the planned International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is expected to assist in implementing the roadmap for Gaza’s security and governance.
The development comes just days after Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm. However, questions remain over how such disarmament would be implemented. Israel has opposed the plan and has reportedly intensified airstrikes in Gaza following Trump’s announcement.
The planned base will measure approximately 100 by 120 meters and is expected to be located in the roughly 60 percent of Gaza currently under direct Israeli military control, about one mile from the Israeli border. Moroccan troops would rotate through the facility from an Israeli base, allowing for rapid evacuation if necessary.
Documents reviewed by The Guardian indicate that the 150-person installation represents the first phase of a broader plan to establish a military base capable of supporting up to 5,000 ISF personnel in Gaza. The facility is expected to include space for military vehicles, defensive berms, and basic infrastructure such as tents, beds, toilets, and hand-washing stations.
Under a UN-backed proposal, the ISF would be created to help stabilize Gaza after the conflict. Morocco has pledged to contribute a small contingent of troops, although the force’s legal framework and deployment timeline have yet to be finalized.
The report also noted that around 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed during the war. Ten months after the ceasefire, most of the territory’s approximately two million residents continue to live in temporary and unsanitary shelters.
