US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has issued its first construction contract in the Gaza Strip, The Guardian reported on Thursday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The project is a 150-person military outpost for Moroccan soldiers, the source stated, who would rotate in from a base in Israel. As currently planned, it will be 100 by 120 meters in area.
The base would be located approximately one mile from the Israeli border, within the area of Gaza’s territory that Israel controls, and would have a “quick extraction route” for the forces stationed there.
The Guardian also reported that, in earlier contract plans, the base was an initial phase for a larger, 5,000-person military base in Gaza.
The first phase, the earlier contract said, would consist of “tents and cots for forces to sleep, as well as chemical toilets and handwashing stations. At this phase, this is what we would consider habitable.”
According to the Guardian, the contract was awarded to Arkel International, a Louisiana-based company that has previously worked for the United States government in Middle Eastern countries.
BoP official says contracts have not been finalized
A BoP official told the Guardian in an email that the Board and National Committee for the Administration of Gaza “are in the final stages of preparing several contract awards. None have been finalized.”
“One prospective contract concerns facilities to support the international stabilization force (ISF), which will assist in implementing the roadmap’s security and governance arrangements,” the official added. “This contract will be one of many that are essential for the future of Gaza.”
