Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pitches $112bn plan to turn Gaza rubble into a tech hub

Jared Kushner, former senior adviser to Donald Trump, is pitching a $112 billion proposal to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip into a futuristic technology and tourism hub, according to details first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Kushner, 44, alongside US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, has been presenting a 32-slide PowerPoint titled Project Sunrise: Building a New and Unified Gaza to regional governments, including Turkey, Egypt and wealthy Gulf states. The document outlines a vision of Gaza transformed into a gleaming coastal metropolis featuring high-speed rail, AI-driven energy grids and luxury beachside resorts.


The plan estimates a total redevelopment cost of $112.1 billion over ten years. US support would cover roughly 20 per cent of direct funding, alongside additional loan guarantees and financial backstops that could bring Washington’s total exposure to nearly $60 billion.

The plan frames Gaza as a future investment destination and tourism hotspot but provides few concrete details about governance or long-term political arrangements. It also does not clearly explain where Gaza’s roughly two million displaced Palestinians would live during reconstruction, noting only that they would be housed in “temporary shelter, field hospitals and mobile clinics”.

The White House declined to comment directly on the proposal. However, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that the Trump administration remained committed to “laying the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous Gaza”.

Middle East analysts have cast serious doubt on whether the proposal is viable. Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Steven Cook said the project cannot move forward without the disarmament of Hamas, which he described as unlikely.

That condition is acknowledged within the presentation itself. The plan is explicitly tied to Hamas disarming, a requirement embedded in a broader, phased peace framework proposed by the Trump administration. Hamas has so far refused to lay down its weapons, effectively stalling further progress.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed those concerns, warning that investors would not commit funds if Gaza risks returning to war within a few years.

“You are not going to convince anyone to invest money in Gaza if they believe another war is going to happen,” Rubio said.

Even if political hurdles were cleared, the physical challenges remain immense. Reconstruction would require clearing an estimated 68 million tonnes of debris, removing unexploded ordnance and landmines, and recovering the bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict.

Images from areas such as Khan Younis show vast stretches of flattened neighbourhoods, underscoring the scale of destruction that any redevelopment effort would have to overcome.

Kushner and Witkoff have previously used private business networks in diplomatic efforts, including during negotiations related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and, more recently, exploratory talks linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. Whether their glossy vision for Gaza can move beyond PowerPoint slides and into reality, however, remains deeply uncertain.