The Trump administration is planning to build a military base in Gaza capable of housing up to 5,000 troops, according to contracting records reviewed by The Guardian.
The documents describe a sprawling installation covering more than 350 acres. It is intended to serve as a military operating base for a future International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a multinational force made up of pledged foreign troops.
The ISF falls under the authority of a newly created body known as the Board of Peace, which is meant to govern Gaza. The board is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Plans show the base being built in phases, eventually covering an area of roughly 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres. It would be surrounded by barbed wire and include 26 trailer-mounted armoured watchtowers, bunkers, a small-arms firing range and a warehouse for military equipment.
The site is located on flat, arid land in southern Gaza, dotted with shrubs and strewn with debris from years of Israeli bombardment. The Guardian has reviewed video footage of the area. A source close to the planning process said a small group of international construction firms with experience in conflict zones have already visited the site.
Indonesia has reportedly offered to deploy up to 8,000 troops. Its president was among four south-east Asian leaders scheduled to attend an inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington DC this week.
The United Nations Security Council has authorised the Board of Peace to establish the ISF on a temporary basis. According to the UN, the force would secure Gaza’s borders, maintain internal security, protect civilians and train and support “vetted Palestinian police forces”.
Key details remain unclear. There is no public information on the ISF’s rules of engagement in the event of renewed Israeli bombardment or attacks by Hamas. It is also uncertain whether the force would be involved in disarming Hamas, a demand made by Israel as a condition for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Although more than 20 countries have joined the Board of Peace, many others have stayed away. Critics note that while the body has UN approval, its charter appears to give Trump permanent leadership and control.
Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University, described the board as “a legal fiction”, saying it has the appearance of an independent international body but functions as a tool of the United States.
Questions have also been raised about funding and oversight. Several contractors told the Guardian that discussions with US officials often take place on the encrypted messaging app Signal rather than through official government email channels.
The contracting document, issued by the Board of Peace with assistance from US contracting officials, includes detailed security provisions. These include a network of bunkers measuring six metres by four metres, with reinforced walls and ventilation systems for protection during attacks.
Contractors are also required to conduct geophysical surveys to identify underground voids, tunnels or large cavities, a likely reference to Hamas’s extensive tunnel network.
One section outlines a “human remains protocol”, instructing work to stop immediately if bodies or cultural artefacts are discovered. Gaza’s civil defence agency estimates that around 10,000 Palestinians remain buried beneath rubble across the territory.
Ownership of the land earmarked for the base is unclear. Much of southern Gaza is currently under Israeli control, and the UN estimates that at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war.
Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer and former peace negotiator, said constructing a military base on Palestinian land without consent amounted to occupation. “Whose permission did they get to build that military base?” she asked.
Officials from United States Central Command referred questions to the Board of Peace. A Trump administration official declined to comment on the contract, saying: “As the President has said, no US boots will be on the ground. We’re not going to discuss leaked documents.”
