With a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas now in place, attention is turning to what it would take to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
After two years of conflict, the scale of destruction is staggering. Roughly 80% of Gaza’s structures have been destroyed or damaged. The devastation has produced more than 60 million tons of rubble, much of it mixed with unexploded ordnance and the remains of an estimated 10,000 people still buried beneath collapsed buildings.
Several Gaza reconstruction proposals have emerged, none more ambitious than “Project Sunrise.” Led by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the plan envisions transforming Gaza into a high-tech coastal metropolis. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the proposal pairs large-scale humanitarian reconstruction with long-term economic redevelopment.
Project Sunrise estimates total reconstruction costs of $112.1 billion over 10 years. Roughly $60 billion would be financed through grants and new debt. The U.S. would act as an “anchor,” committing to support 20% or more of this financing.
The plan divides Gaza into four reconstruction phases, starting in Rafah and Khan Younis before moving north to the central camps and, finally, Gaza City. Early phases focus on rubble clearance and the provision of temporary shelter and medical facilities, before permanent housing and infrastructure construction begins.
A centerpiece of the proposal is “New Rafah,” envisioned as Gaza’s future seat of governance. The master-planned city would be designed for more than 500,000 residents, with over 100,000 housing units, more than 200 schools, and over 75 medical facilities. Beginning in year 10, the plan also proposes monetizing 70% of Gaza’s coastline, projecting more than $55 billion in long-term investment returns from beachfront development and tourism.
The proposal makes clear, however, that no reconstruction can proceed unless Hamas fully demilitarizes and dismantles all weapons and tunnel networks.
By contrast, a reconstruction plan backed by Egypt and endorsed by several Arab states emphasizes continuity rather than reinvention. This approach prioritizes rebuilding Gaza with its two million residents remaining in place, focusing on quickly restoring housing, utilities, and transport. It anchors logistics and trade flows through Egypt’s Sinai infrastructure, including the El-Arish logistics hub. While this model aims to stabilize daily life and preserve Gaza’s social fabric, it faces challenges around funding scale, governance, and long-term security arrangements.
A third proposal, the 20-Point Peace & Reconstruction Framework, prioritizes stabilization over reinvention, linking reconstruction to a broader political settlement. Developed as part of a U.S.-led initiative and endorsed internationally, it ties the rebuilding of Gaza to cease-fire enforcement, security reform, and transitional governance. The framework calls for international oversight, temporary governing bodies, and phased rebuilding benchmarks tied to stability and demilitarization.