Gaza, a region devastated by conflict, lies in ruins with entire neighborhoods destroyed and hundreds of thousands of residents crammed into tents, struggling for basic necessities like food, water, and power. Amid this humanitarian crisis, a leaked 38-page document from the Trump administration, titled the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation (Great) Trust, proposes a radical plan to “fundamentally transform Gaza” by integrating it into the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (Imec).
The plan, framed as a reconstruction effort, emphasizes “massive US gains” and the acceleration of Imec, while consolidating an “Abrahamic regional architecture”—a reference to the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain. This vision aligns closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “Gaza 2035” proposal, which envisions Gaza as a sanitized logistics hub linked to Saudi Arabia’s Neom mega-project, devoid of meaningful Palestinian presence.
Imec, launched at the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, is a transformative infrastructure project signed by the US, EU, India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. It includes railways, ports, pipelines, and digital cables connecting South Asia to Europe via the Arabian Peninsula. While Israel is not a formal signatory, its role is implicit, with the corridor running through Haifa Port.
The plan casts Gaza as both an obstacle and a gateway, presenting it as a historic crossroads of trade routes. It proposes extending Gaza’s port, integrating its industries into regional supply chains, and reorganizing its land into “planned cities” and digital economies. However, the vision is not one of recovery for Gaza’s residents but rather its conversion into a logistics center serving Imec.
The Great Trust’s most radical element is its model of direct trusteeship, envisioning a US-led custodianship that would govern Gaza, oversee security, manage aid, and control redevelopment. Even after establishing a “Palestinian polity,” the trust would retain powers through a Compact of Free Association. The plan also includes provisions for “voluntary relocation,” offering financial incentives for Palestinians to leave Gaza, a move critics argue sanctions ethnic cleansing.
The document is laden with “Abrahamic” branding, from logistics hubs to infrastructure corridors, and envisions a techno-futurist Gaza with smart manufacturing zones, AI-regulated data centers, and luxury resorts. It aims to channel Gulf capital into Gaza’s redevelopment, forecasting $70–100 billion in public investment and $35–65 billion from private investors.
While Saudi Arabia has not formally joined the Abraham Accords, its backing of Imec signals acceptance of the framework. For Washington, Gaza’s reconstruction is seen as a final step in persuading Riyadh to normalize relations with Israel. However, the plan’s focus on Gaza as a distressed asset to be flipped raises ethical concerns, with critics labeling it disaster capitalism at its sharpest.
Despite the grand visions of free-trade zones and futuristic cities, Palestinians have consistently rejected such schemes. The leaked document underscores that Gaza’s future is being framed within a broader US effort to reshape the region, raising questions about whose interests are truly being served.