By Reuters
A Gaza firm has been contracted to build an Emirati-funded compound for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in a part of the territory under Israeli military control, two Israeli officials and two Palestinian businessmen tell Reuters.
The plan for a Palestinian contracting firm staffed by Gaza workers to build the compound has not been previously reported.
It appears to signal an aim to begin reconstruction without waiting for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, a step that is meant to accompany the disarming of Hamas in the next phase of a ceasefire under US President Donald Trump’s plan.
Employing Palestinians in construction could be a way to reduce local hostility to the project, but it remains to be seen whether large numbers of Palestinians would agree to live or work in an Israeli-held area of Gaza.
The United Arab Emirates has yet to formally announce the housing project, dubbed by some diplomats “Emirates City.” According to a planning map seen by Reuters, the compound would be built near Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge, an area depopulated and demolished by Israeli forces during the war with Hamas.
The four sources identify the firm as the Gaza-based Masoud & Ali Contracting Co (MACC), which has led large-scale projects in Gaza and the West Bank for decades.
One of the Palestinian businessmen, who has direct knowledge of the plan, says MACC would partner with two Egyptian firms to build it. He describes the project as spanning some 74 acres and capable of housing tens of thousands of people in pre-fabricated trailer-style units stacked multiple stories high.
MACC declines to comment. The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor do spokespeople for Hamas.
A UAE official does not comment directly on the plans but says the country is “firmly committed to supporting all international relief and recovery efforts in Gaza, in close collaboration with partners, to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches those in need swiftly and effectively.”
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