American Companies Compete for Gaza Reconstruction in Pursuit of Profits

While Gaza remains submerged in unprecedented destruction left by Israel's ongoing genocide war that has lasted two years, a parallel, less visible path is crystallizing in Washington, led by American contracting companies and businessmen closely linked to the administration of US President Donald Trump, in an early race to control the file of reconstruction and humanitarian aid. According to United Nations estimates, the cost of rebuilding the sector reaches about 70 billion dollars, which transforms Gaza, in the view of these parties, into an economic opportunity as much as it is a human tragedy.

Sources and documents reviewed by The Guardian reveal that the destruction or damage to nearly 75 percent of the sector's buildings has whetted the appetite of companies specialized in construction, demolition, and logistics services, seeing in the "post-war" phase a rare market for long-term contracts, despite the absence of any stable political or administrative framework to manage Gaza.

Despite the lack of an official mechanism so far to sign reconstruction contracts, this has not stopped unofficial movements. The "Peace Council" that the United Nations agreed to establish to manage Gaza, chaired by Trump, has not actually started its work, and the powers of the Civil-Military Coordination Center remain limited. This vacuum has opened the door to parallel initiatives outside traditional channels.

In this context, the White House has formed a special task force on Gaza that includes Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and Aryeh Lightstone, working on formulating visions for managing aid and reconstruction. According to informed sources, technical discussions are led by two former officials from "Dog" company, who were previously linked to Elon Musk's efforts to reduce the size of the US government. Presentations have been circulated that include detailed operational plans covering pricing, profit estimates, and potential storage sites.

In this framework, Gotham LLC emerged as a major competitor to take on the logistics file. The company owns a wide network of political relations and had previously obtained a contract worth 33 million dollars to manage a controversial migrant detention center in southern Florida, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Documents and three sources indicate that the company was the top candidate to win a contract that would be the largest in its history.

However, this path suffered an unexpected setback after the company's founder, Matt Michelson, announced his withdrawal from the competition, justifying his decision with security concerns and the possibility of negative media repercussions. Michelson told The Guardian in an interview that the plans "changed radically and expanded in an unexpected way," noting that the newspaper's inquiries contributed to reassessing the situation.

In contrast, the spokesperson for the White House task force on Gaza limited himself to confirming that planning is still in its early stages, and that "several ideas are under discussion without final decisions," refusing to delve into details related to selection mechanisms or nominated parties.

Sources indicate that American contractors recently visited the area to meet influential officials and potential partners, amid growing interest in the post-war phase. One seasoned contractor describes the scene by saying: "Everyone is rushing to reserve their position early... Gaza is being treated as if it were a new version of Iraq or Afghanistan."

The United Nations had endorsed Trump's plan for Gaza last November, amid two contrasting visions: the first promotes investment and real estate projects, and the second, adopted by the international community, focuses on rebuilding the sector as a livable environment for about 2.5 million Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel continues its control over about half of Gaza's area and links any reconstruction in areas controlled by "Hamas" to its disarmament.

Within this context, the role of young advisors in the Gaza team has emerged, who prepared planning documents proposing the appointment of a "main contractor" to manage the entry of up to 600 trucks daily into the sector, in exchange for imposing high fees on humanitarian and commercial trucks. Estimates indicate that this model could generate annual revenues of up to 1.7 billion dollars from transportation fees alone.

The issue of transportation gains crucial importance, as Gaza relied before the war on the entry of about 500 trucks daily. However, Israel has imposed strict restrictions on entry movements since October 7, 2023, causing a severe shortage in food, fuel, and building materials, despite the stipulation in the ceasefire agreement on higher numbers.

The United Nations has long played a pivotal role in delivering aid to the majority of Gaza's population, but the future of this role has become a matter of question, amid increasing trends towards privatizing humanitarian work and assigning it to profitable companies.

These early movements reveal that the battle of "the day after" in Gaza is managed by market logic before being resolved politically or humanely. Instead of reconstruction starting from the needs of the population and their right to a dignified life, the sector is being treated as a high-risk and high-return investment opportunity. This approach threatens to turn relief into a profit tool, and reproduces the model of war economy, where destruction itself becomes an investable asset, not a tragedy that requires accountability and justice.