A new US initiative is positioned to transform the war-stricken Gaza landscape into a futuristic destination dotted by luxury resorts, high-speed rail and AI-optimised smart grids, according to a report. The envisaged plans are being collectively dubbed as the “Project Sunrise,” which the Donald Trump administration will be putting across in its pitch to foreign governments and investors.

Trump officials told the Washington Post that if security conditions signal a positive outlook, the plan could be set into motion as soon as two months.

NOTE: The official US State Department – Near Eastern Affairs has slammed a certain bit from the WaPo article as “fake news.” Therefore, readers are advised to consume the report detailed below with a pinch of salt.

About the Gaza Project Sunrise: Costs, leaders – What we know

The so-called Project Sunrise is estimated to cost a total of $112.1 billion, and would require 10 years for completion if given the green light. Most of this initial 10-year-plan funds would contribute to humanitarian needs.

Of this total cost, the Washington Post report said the US is expected to play the role of an “anchor,” backing nearly $60 billion ($41.9 billion in grants and $15.2 billion on new debt). The World Bank may also step in to help.

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Contradicting the $60 billion donation bit, the US State Department – Near Eastern Affairs’ official X account called out the WaPo article, highlighting, “Nowhere in the plan does it say the U.S. will pay $60 billion,” in response to a New York Post article. The Post, in turn, was amplifying the Washing Post exclusive.

The report further underlined that Gaza would then headline financing the Project Sunrise on its own well into the plan’s second decade. It also claimed that the country would subsequently pay out its own debt as improvements reap good results for the economy.

As per the reported proposal, 70% of Gaza’s coastline may be monetised from year 10 onwards. The same is estimated to reap over $55 billion investment returns down the line.

The team behind the project is being led by the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and America’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump’s top duo reportedly joined forces with senior White House aide Josh Gruenbaum and other American officials to draft a proposal spanning 32 pages of PowerPoint slides in the past 45 days, as per WaPo.

As per the WaPo report, the draft is currently labelled “sensitive but unclassified,” and focusses on “reimagining Gaza as a ‘smart city’ tech-drive governance and services.” The draft’s second page reportedly highlights that rebuilding Gaza, in turn, depends on Hamas “to demilitarise and decommission all weapons and tunnels.”

How would the Gaza reconstruction model work?

Mapping out a 20-plus-year timeline, the draft reported by the Washington Post shows that the effort would kick things off by first getting rid of destroyed buildings, unexploded ordnance and Hamas’ tunnels. Bare mentions of temporary shelters for residents are highlighted without going into much detail. The WaPo report further notes that Gaza’s people will also be provided with temporary field hospitals and mobile clinics.

Once the first phase of removing dilapidated remains is cleared, the plan will reportedly move on to constructing permanent housing, medical facilities, schools and religious spaces. Bringing in luxurious beachfront properties and modern transportations hubs will only be tapped into in the longer run.

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The Washington Post also mapped out four phases in which rebuilding would proceed. Project Sunrise will first turn to the south, with Rafah and Khan Younis as primary revamp goals. Thereafter, the project would turn northward to “center camps,” and then finally the capital city of Gaza.

One particular slide envisions “New Rafah” as Gaza’s “seat of governance,” and housing more than 500,000 residents, according to WaPo. The city would reportedly include over 100,000 housing units, 200 or more schools and more than 75 medical facilities and 180 mosques and cultural centres.

Key issues not mentioned in the Project Sunrise draft so far

Despite addressing other things about the ‘smart city’ revamp, the draft failed to mention where the 2 million Palestinians bound to be displaced by the project will live if it goes live.

It also remains unclear which countries or companies are planning to fund the Gaza Project Sunrise, as per the report. WaPo cited US officials saying that Gulf kingdoms, Turkey and Egypt were some countries that could possibly financially back the initiative, as they’ve been shown in the slides.

They even told the outlet that Kushner, Witkoff and Gruenbaum’s Project Sunrise trio had sat down with officials from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in Miami on Friday (US time) to discuss the issue.

Some officials are already raising questions about the project, fuelled by their disbelief. Though not having seen the proposal, Steven Cook, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, has emerged as one such critic.

He emphasised that US officials can go on to make as many slides as they wanted, but nothing would go into effect until Hamas is disarmed. “Hamas will not disarm, so nothing will happen,” he added, as per the Washington Post.

On the contrary, a White House spokesperson told the US news outlet that Trump was focussed on the Gaza peace plan. “The Trump administration will continue to work diligently with our partners to sustain a lasting peace and lay the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous Gaza,” they highlighted.