Report: The United States Proposes the 'Sunrise Project' Plan to Transform Gaza into a High-Tech City

Translation by SadaNews: A plan prepared by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff could see the United States committing about 20% of some reconstruction costs over 10 years. Luxury beach resorts, high-speed trains, and AI-enhanced smart energy networks are envisioned according to a report published by the American Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper states: Welcome to the ‘Sunrise Project’, a vision promoted by the Trump administration to foreign governments and investors to transform the rubble of Gaza into a futuristic coastal destination. A team led by Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, both senior White House aides, has drafted a proposal to convert the devastated sector into a shining city.

In a 32-page PowerPoint presentation, filled with images of high-rise towers alongside graphs and cost tables, the plan outlines steps to move Gaza’s residents from tents to luxury apartments, and from poverty to prosperity.

The presentation was marked as ‘sensitive but not classified’, and does not include details about the countries or companies that will fund Gaza's reconstruction, nor does it precisely specify where around two million displaced Palestinians will live during the reconstruction period, according to the translation from SadaNews. American officials stated that the United States presented the slides to potential donor countries, including wealthy Gulf states, Turkey, and Egypt.

However, some U.S. officials familiar with the plan have significant doubts about its feasibility. They are skeptical that Hamas will agree to disarm at all to commence the plan's implementation, and even if that happens, they doubt the U.S. ability to persuade wealthy countries to bear the costs of transforming a post-war hazardous environment into a high-tech city.

Conversely, others believe it offers the most detailed and optimistic vision yet of what Gaza could become if Hamas lays down its arms and the page is turned on decades of conflict.

Stephen Cook, a prominent Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, who recently visited Israel without seeing the draft, stated: 'They can prepare whatever presentations they want. No one in Israel believes they will surpass the current situation, and everyone is content with that,' according to SadaNews translation.

He added: 'Nothing will happen until Hamas disarms. Hamas will not disarm, and thus nothing will happen.'

When requested for comment, a White House spokesperson stated that Trump continues to monitor the situation in Gaza and the peace plan. He added, 'The Trump administration will continue to work hard with our partners to sustain lasting peace and lay the foundations for a safe and prosperous Gaza.'

According to the draft, the total cost of the project will be $112.1 billion over 10 years, with the United States committing to play a 'bedrock' role through nearly $60 billion in grants and debt guarantees for all 'proposed work pathways' during that time, as translated by SadaNews. The plan anticipates that Gaza will later be able to self-fund many projects in the following years and gradually repay its debts while stimulating improvements to local industry and the broader economy.

Officials mentioned that Kushner, Witkoff, senior White House aide Josh Grenbaum, and other American officials compiled the proposal over the past 45 days, adding that they received input from Israeli officials and individuals in the private sector and contractors. If the project is initiated, they plan to update and review the figures roughly every two years as implementation progresses.

Supporters of the project assert that leaving Gaza undeveloped and allowing the worsening humanitarian crisis to escalate is a far worse option, pointing out that it is better to realize Trump’s vision to transform Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East.'

But the obstacles are immense. After thousands of Israeli strikes on Gaza during the two-year Israel-Hamas war, officials estimate that around 10,000 bodies remain beneath 68 million tons of debris. The land is contaminated and filled with unexploded ordnance, while Hamas fighters remain entrenched.

The plan acknowledges on its second page, in bold red text, that Gaza’s reconstruction depends on 'the complete disarmament and dismantling of all Hamas weapons and tunnels.'

If security conditions allow, Trump administration officials stated they might begin implementing the plan in just two months.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday, while discussing the overall situation in the sector: 'You will not convince anyone to invest in Gaza if they believe another war will occur in two or three years.'

Rubio added: 'We have a great deal of confidence that we will secure donors for reconstruction efforts and all long-term humanitarian support.'

Officials pointed out that Kushner, Witkoff, and Grenbaum met on Friday in Miami with officials from the UAE, Turkey, and Qatar to discuss developments in Gaza.

A roadmap extending over 20 years begins efforts to remove destroyed buildings, unexploded ordnance, and Hamas tunnels, while providing temporary housing, field hospitals, and mobile clinics for the population, as translated by SadaNews. After the cleansing is complete, the construction of permanent housing, medical facilities, schools, and places of worship begins. Then roads are paved, electricity lines laid, and crops planted. Only after that are the long-term goals realized, such as luxury beach properties and modern transportation hubs.