Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, established in January to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, has finally issued its first construction contract in the devastated territory. The project involves building a rudimentary 150-person military outpost designed to house Moroccan troops, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The contract, which has not yet been finalised, was awarded to Arkel International, a Louisiana-based firm with a history of working with the US government in countries such as Iraq. The Board of Peace is chaired by the US president and led by a team that includes his son-in-law Jared Kushner and associate Steve Witkoff.
In an email, a Board of Peace official stated that the board and a group of Palestinian technocrats installed to oversee Gaza, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, “are in the final stages of preparing several contract awards. None have been finalised.” The official noted that one prospective contract concerns facilities to support the international stabilisation force (ISF), which will assist in implementing the roadmap’s security and governance arrangements. They added: “This contract will be one of many that are essential for the future of Gaza.”
This award comes just days after Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm, though there are considerable questions about how the group would give up its weapons. Israel has opposed the plan and increased airstrikes in Gaza following Trump’s announcement. Furthermore, reported in July that the board’s original Gaza reconstruction plan had shrunk dramatically from an ambitious blueprint to rebuild the whole territory to a small pilot project in the south of the strip.
The base now being planned is a compact 100 metres by 120 metres and is intended to house a contingent of Moroccan troops who would rotate from a base in Israel. It would lie within the 60% of Gaza’s territory that the Israeli army currently controls. Additionally, Israeli forces have created a buffer zone beyond that area. The source indicated the base is situated about a mile from the Israeli border and would feature a “quick extraction route” in case the small force encounters hostile action.
The UN resolution authorising the Board of Peace approved the establishment of an international stabilisation force for Gaza. While Morocco has promised a small contingent, the legal framework for the ISF remains incomplete, and the timeline for deployment is unclear. Earlier contract plans seen by suggest the 150-person base is merely the first phase of a larger project intended to eventually house a 5,000-person military force.
This facility would have included vehicle fighting positions and a perimeter berm, with rudimentary amenities suitable for short-term deployments. The initial contract specifications stated the first phase would consist of “tents and cots for forces to sleep, as well as chemical toilets and handwashing stations. At this phase, this is what we would consider habitable.”
Trump previously announced in February 2025 that the US would “take over” and “own” Gaza, although the agreement establishing the Board of Peace fell short of that claim. At the board’s first meeting in January, Kushner unveiled a “master plan” to build “New Gaza,” featuring an expansive waterfront city with gleaming mixed-use towers. “It could be a hope, it could be a destination. A lot of industry,” he said.
The reality on the ground remains dire, as at least 80% of Gaza’s buildings were damaged or destroyed during the war. Ten months after the ceasefire, most of the territory’s 2 million people are still living in makeshift and unsanitary camps, awaiting the reconstruction promised by the board.
