A new US project for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, known as “Sunrise”, has sparked widespread debate and scepticism in political and academic circles. Critics argue that it has been presented within a media and political context that ignores the catastrophic humanitarian reality in Gaza and the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The discussion of the project took place during the Sunday episode dated 20 December 2025 of the programme “Al Masa’iya” on Al Jazeera Mubasher. The programme hosted Dr Mohammed Al Sharqawi, professor of international conflict resolution, and Dr Hani Al Masri, director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy Research and Strategic Studies, Masarat, to discuss the dimensions of the US plan and its underlying objectives.
A Technological City
According to what was presented in the programme, the “Sunrise” project is based on a plan extending for at least ten years, at an estimated cost of around 112 billion dollars. It aims, according to the US vision, to transform the Gaza Strip into a smart technological city through four phases starting in the south of the Strip, specifically Rafah, then Khan Younis, and culminating in Gaza City, which is intended to become a model resembling a Mediterranean “Riviera”.
Dr Mohammed Al Sharqawi explained that this vision is not new. In essence, it goes back to the idea of “economic peace” promoted by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, during the Manama conference five years ago. At that time, the allocation of around 50 billion dollars was proposed under the banner of development, not to end the occupation or resolve the Palestinian cause, but to dissolve it into economic projects.
He added that the current plan represents a broader expansion in ambition, as it assumes that the United States would contribute around 20% of the funding, while regional states, including Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other Gulf countries, would be expected to bear approximately 80 to 85 billion dollars. He questioned the realism of assuming that these states would agree to finance a project of this scale to realise what he described as “Trump’s dream”.
Ignoring the Palestinian Reality
Al Sharqawi strongly criticised what he described as a complete US disregard for the demographic and political reality in Gaza. He noted that the project treats the Strip as if it were “land without a people”, even though more than two million Palestinians live there amid historical, religious, and political complexities that have made the area the “mother of conflicts” in the world.
He said that talking about turning Gaza into an ultra-luxurious smart city, while being unable to bring in mobile homes, clean water, medicines, and medical supplies, and amid the continued daily killing of Palestinians, exposes the vast gap between political fantasy and reality on the ground.
He described the project as a “Hollywood dream” that would require at least twenty years to move from its first to its fourth phase. He argued that the danger lies not only in its lack of realism, but also in what remains unspoken within it, relating to the fate of the Palestinians, sovereignty, and occupation.
A New Form of Colonialism
For his part, Dr Hani Al Masri viewed the “Sunrise” project as falling within what he described as a “new pattern of colonialism and domination”. This approach, he said, relies on flooding public opinion with dazzling visions while obscuring fundamental questions related to sovereignty and to who will control the digital, security, and economic infrastructure of the Strip.
Al Masri stressed that any discussion of Gaza’s future that is not linked to the right of self-determination and the end of the Israeli occupation is misleading. He said it aims to bypass the roots of the conflict rather than resolve them. He added that the plan focuses on issues such as disarming the resistance and removing Hamas from governance, while maintaining near silence regarding Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip. It even promotes ideas about maintaining buffer zones under Israeli control, ideas he said receive US backing.
He questioned who would actually bear the cost of the project, expressing doubt about Washington’s willingness to pay its declared share. He argued that the United States “wants to gain without paying”, and that the danger lies in burdening Gaza’s residents with long-term debt in the context of a collapsed humanitarian reality.
War Reality and Reconstruction Illusions
In contrast to the imagined images presented of a hyper-modern future city, the programme’s guests pointed out that the reality in Gaza consists of tattered tents, severe cold, hunger, and acute shortages of food and medicine. This is compounded by continued Israeli violations and the fall of hundreds of victims in recent months, despite talk of de-escalation or political pathways.
The discussion also addressed the complexities of the second phase of any potential agreement, including debate over an “international stabilisation force” and differing visions among the parties involved. This comes amid the Israeli government’s insistence on linking any progress in reconstruction or the opening of crossings to disarmament, without a clear commitment to withdrawal or ending security control.
Dark Ambiguity
Both guests agreed that the current ambiguity serves the strongest party on the ground, namely the Israeli occupation. They warned that maintaining the status quo, or moving toward externally imposed solutions without Palestinian will, will only prolong suffering and perpetuate a vicious cycle.
The programme concluded by stressing that projects built on political fantasy, without addressing the roots of the conflict and recognising the rights of the Palestinian people, may appear attractive on paper, but remain far removed from reality at a time when the Gaza Strip is sinking into one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history.
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