Meet the companies and billionaires looking to make a massive profit off Trump’s plans in Gaza

Last week, The Guardian reported that the Trump administration is planning to build a 350-acre military base in Gaza to house the future International Stabilization Force (ISF).

Plans reviewed by the newspaper reveal that the base will be “ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment for operations.”

At this time, it’s unclear who will be hired to construct the base, but the report is yet another reminder that Gaza’s reconstruction could generate massive profits.

Members of President Donald Trump’s controversial Board of Peace openly expressed this sentiment at the group’s first meeting, framing Gaza as a potential money-maker.

“The coastline alone is 50 billion dollars of value alone on a conservative basis… it just needs to be unlocked and financed,” said billionaire Marc Rowan, an executive member of the board and the head of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management.

Another board member, Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, told the crowd that Gaza’s coast could be “developed as a new Mediterranean Riviera with 200 hotels and potential islands.”

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last month, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, admitted that private-sector investment in Gaza could be “a little risky,” but said it would provide “amazing investment opportunities.”

“As you guys know, peace is a different deal than a business deal, because you’re changing a mindset,” he added.

As Quincy Institute research associate Nick Cleveland-Stout points out in Responsible Statecraft, Kushner could end up reaping the benefits of these opportunities, as his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, already has billions invested across the Gulf region.

Another possible partner is the disaster response firm Gothams LLC, which recently submitted a proposal to the White House that guarantees 300% profits via a seven-year trucking and logistics plan.

The Austin-based Gothams LLC gained attention last year after it landed a $33 million contract to help run the South Florida Detention Facility, the infamous migrant jail nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“We provide solutions to the most challenging problems in high-leverage situations and strive to make a positive impact on the communities where we live and work,” declares the company’s website. “By combining military precision with private sector agility, we are built to accomplish more.”

When questioned about the proposal by The Guardian, Chris Vanek, a partner at Gothams, who has been coordinating with the Trump team, denied having any discussions about investment or returns with the White House.

“The Board of Peace, Palestinian and Israeli stakeholders, and the US Department of State asked me to assist with planning efforts based on my extensive experience in conflict zones, reconstruction, and disaster response,” said Vanek. “There is no existing agreement or contract, and I have provided this assistance at my own expense in support of peace efforts.”

Gothams “did not respond directly to questions about the profit margin,” noted The Guardian.

Reuters recently reported that North Carolina-based UG Solutions is in talks with the Trump administration to secure a role in Gaza’s reconstruction.

“Our proposal was received positively, but until the Board of Peace clarifies what its priorities are for security, UG Solutions is planning internally for a range of possible ways to support efforts in Gaza,” a UG Solutions spokesperson told Reuters.

The firm provided security for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) last year, and was heavily criticized by the United Nations after over 1,000 Palestinians were killed while attempting to reach aid sites. The operation was shut down after a ceasefire was announced.

Former GHF employee Anthony Aguilar alleged that he saw Israeli soldiers commit war crimes at the sites where UG Solutions provided security.

Aguilar told Democracy Now that the aid sites were “designed as death traps.”

“Those sites were built in the middle of those areas intentionally,” he explained. “It’s not by accident. That, in and of itself, to designate humanitarian distribution sites to service an unarmed, starving population, to build them deliberately in an active combat zone, is a violation of the Geneva Convention protocol. It’s a violation of humanitarian law. And in my opinion, it’s a violation of humanity in general.”

“The GHF and those who stand behind it have Palestinian blood on their hands; they are not welcome to return to Gaza,” said Palestinian NGOs Network head Amjad al-Shawa.

“I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location,” Trump has said, in reference to Gaza redevelopment. “And I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property, what it could be for so many people.”