The Board of Peace, chaired by Donald Trump with Jared Kushner involved, has commissioning documents for a proposed 5,000-person military base in southern Gaza covering more than 350 acres. The compound would serve as a hub for a UN-authorised International Stabilization Force and include watch towers, bunkers, a weapons range and a warehouse. Key details remain unclear, including rules of engagement, land ownership and how the ISF would address disarming Hamas; Indonesia has reportedly offered up to 8,000 troops. Critics warn the Board is opaque and could amount to an occupation if built without local consent.
Documents Reveal Trump-Led Plan for 5,000-Person Military Base in Gaza
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) delegation on a field visit in Gaza City, on 16 February.Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images(Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images)
Documents from the Board of Peace, reviewed by the Guardian, outline plans for a 5,000-person military compound in southern Gaza covering more than 350 acres. The site is described as a military operating base for a proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational contingent created under the newly formed Board of Peace, which is chaired by Donald Trump with involvement from Jared Kushner.
What The Documents Show
The contracting records call for phased construction of an outpost that would eventually measure roughly 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres. The compound would be ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armoured watch towers and a barbed-wire perimeter, and would include a small-arms range, multiple bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment.
Planned Facilities And Technical Details
Technical specifications cited in the plans include a network of bunkers measuring about 6 metres by 4 metres and 2.5 metres tall, each with ventilation systems to shelter personnel. The contract requires geophysical surveys "to identify any subterranean voids, tunnels, or large cavities per phase," a provision that appears to reference extensive tunnel networks reportedly built by Hamas in Gaza.
Human Remains Protocol: "If suspected human remains or cultural artifacts are discovered, all work in the immediate area must cease immediately, the area must be secured, and the Contracting Officer must be notified immediately for direction."
The Guardian reviewed video of the proposed site — an arid stretch of flatlands in southern Gaza dotted with saltbush and debris — and sources say a small number of international construction firms with experience in conflict zones have been taken on site.
Mandate, Troop Offers And Legal Questions
The UN Security Council authorised the Board of Peace to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force tasked with securing Gaza's border, maintaining order, protecting civilians, and training and supporting "vetted Palestinian police forces." Indonesia has reportedly offered up to 8,000 troops for the ISF, and more than 20 countries have joined the Board, though many major nations have stayed away.
Key operational questions remain unanswered: the documents do not clearly define the ISF's rules of engagement if combat resumes, how the force would respond to renewed Israeli bombing or Hamas attacks, or what role the ISF would play in disarming Hamas — an Israeli condition for reconstruction. Ownership of the land proposed for the compound is also unclear, and much of southern Gaza is currently under Israeli control.
Concerns, Reactions And Governance
Critics say the Board of Peace's charter appears to grant enduring leadership and control to Trump, and some experts described the organisation as opaque. Adil Haque, a law professor at Rutgers University, called it "a kind of legal fiction" with an international legal personality that may be used primarily to advance U.S. interests. Sources told the Guardian that funding and governance arrangements are murky and that some sensitive discussions with U.S. officials took place over Signal rather than official government channels.
Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu called construction of a military base on Palestinian land without local approval "an act of occupation," asking, "Whose permission did they get to build that military base?" U.S. Central Command redirected questions to the Board of Peace. A Trump administration official declined to discuss the contract, saying, "As the President has said, no US boots will be on the ground. We’re not going to discuss leaked documents."
Humanitarian Context
The documents also include a protocol to halt work if suspected human remains or cultural artifacts are found. Gaza's civil defence agency estimates that roughly 10,000 Palestinian bodies may be buried under rubble from previous bombardment. The United Nations estimates at least 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced during the war.
Note: This article reports on planning documents and public statements. Many details remain provisional and contested, and further developments may clarify the ISF’s mandate, funding, and legal status.
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