Jared Kushner outlined a sweeping blueprint he calls “New Gaza,” presenting a postwar reconstruction vision that mixes loft-style housing, park-lined neighborhoods, advanced industrial zones, an offshore oil-and-gas rig and a redeveloped coastline. Speaking at Davos, Kushner said demolition and rubble clearance had already started and framed the plan as a chance to create industry, jobs and modern housing — but tied reconstruction to a security framework derived from the Trump administration’s ceasefire deal. Under that deal, Israeli withdrawal depends on Hamas decommissioning weapons in phases, and rebuilding would begin only in areas where Hamas is declared fully disarmed or where Palestinians have been moved and Israel retains military control.
Quick context
– Geography and population: The Gaza Strip is roughly 25 miles long and 4–7 miles wide. Before the war it held about 2.2 million people in dense cities and refugee camps; today many people are sheltering in tents or damaged structures at risk of collapse.
– Damage and urban character: The World Bank estimated in 2024 that damage to Gaza’s critical infrastructure topped $18 billion. A U.N.-Habitat report noted Gaza was overwhelmingly urban before the war, with about 87% urban area and most of the remainder refugee camps.
What the presentation omitted
Kushner’s visuals and remarks did not explain key legal and social details: how land deeds would be transferred, how new housing would be allocated to Palestinians, or how families would be relocated from existing buildings marked for demolition — especially in central and western Gaza City where many structures remain standing. Critics argue the plan risks erasing Gaza’s social and urban fabric and recasting the territory as an investment opportunity built on ruins. A U.N. commission has described the destruction as the result of genocide — a finding Israel denies while it faces international scrutiny over alleged war crimes.
Who is named to help
The presentation singled out Israeli real estate investor Yakir Gabay as a key contributor. Kushner and Gabay both sit on a White House-appointed Gaza Executive Board that reports to the so-called Board of Peace overseeing reconstruction plans. It is unclear whether Palestinians were meaningfully consulted. A spokesperson for the White House board told NPR that the figures shown for the initial reconstruction phase are “just the start.”
Five things to know about “New Gaza”
1) Less housing space than before the war
The map divides Gaza into four main living districts separated by large green belts, parks and sizable industrial zones. The plan projects the industrial areas would generate more than half a million jobs for Gazans, but because of the proportion of land dedicated to nonresidential uses it allows for less housing area than existed prewar. Gaza already faced a critical housing shortage before the conflict, and more than 90% of homes have been reported destroyed or damaged.
2) Cities reshaped — some neighborhoods effectively erased
Reconstruction is staged from south to north, with Gaza City placed in the final phase. Residential zones are reconfigured into quadrants — Rafah, Khan Younis, Center Camps and Gaza City — separated by green belts and linked by a limited number of main roads. Northern municipalities and refugee camps such as Beit Lahia and Jabalia are shown on the plan replaced by agricultural land and sites for data centers and advanced manufacturing. Many existing neighborhoods and buildings would be razed and rebuilt, a prospect residents and critics say displaces communities rather than allowing people to rebuild in place. “We only want one thing: Leave us to rebuild,” said Rami Abdel-Aal, a Rafah resident whose home was demolished.
3) Airport, port and a reimagined Rafah crossing
Visuals include a southern airport, a train and logistics hub, and a new port. The plan repositions the Rafah border crossing at Gaza’s southern tip and describes it as a “trilateral” crossing touching Egypt and Israel. Egypt has not publicly endorsed such arrangements and has historically rejected Israeli control at Rafah. Currently, Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade and people can only exit through Israeli-controlled crossings.
4) New Rafah as the center of gravity
Rafah, now largely emptied and under Israeli military occupation, is presented as Gaza’s logistics and possible administrative hub. The plan promises more than 100,000 permanent housing units for New Rafah and roughly 200 educational centers. By contrast, prewar Gaza had nearly 600,000 housing units and about 700 schools plus 17 higher-education institutions. Israeli officials told reporters that ground in Rafah is being prepared — clearing unexploded ordnance and tunnels — to set up temporary housing, and that Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff have urged speeding up rubble clearance. The United Arab Emirates is reported to be funding a neighborhood intended to house thousands of civilians.
5) A coastline oriented toward tourism and high-end development
Kushner’s plan designates Gaza’s Mediterranean coast for coastal tourism and high-rise mixed-use development, proposing about 180 towers and a skyline that resembles luxury developments elsewhere in the region. Before the war the coastline hosted local apartments, hotels, cafes and public beaches — important communal spaces in a densely populated territory. Critics worry such developments would price many Palestinians out of coastal areas.
Reactions and core concerns
Journalists, analysts and Gaza residents interviewed about the plan warn it sidelines Palestinians’ property rights and concentrates on attracting outside investment. Many see it as reshaping the territory to strategic and commercial objectives rather than restoring residents’ ability to return to their neighborhoods. Several international and regional actors, including Egypt, have not publicly accepted major elements of the proposal. Because reconstruction is conditioned on Hamas’s disarmament and tied to zones under Israeli control, the plan raises sharp questions about sovereignty, right of return, property rights and who will be permitted to live in rebuilt areas.
Reporting contributions
Reporting for the original coverage included journalists based in Gaza, Cairo and Tel Aviv.