From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Trump administration said planning to build 350-acre military base in Gaza
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The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza spanning 350 acres, the Guardian reports.
The base is meant for the International Stabilization Force, the multinational force intended to oversee Gaza’s postwar development under US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Strip.
Plans for the base were detailed in contracting records of the Board of Peace, the British publication reports. The Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and meant to supervise the development of postwar Gaza, is about to hold its first meeting in Washington, DC.
The base is eventually to include a shooting range, bunkers and a warehouse for military equipment. It will be surrounded by barbed wire and 26 guard towers, the Guardian reports.
It will be located in a flat area of southern Gaza.
The construction process is said to include a search for tunnels and includes a protocol if bodies are found in the area.
In November, the White House flatly denied a report that the US was planning to establish a large military base in Israel near the Gaza border for use by international forces that would operate inside the Strip to maintain the ceasefire there.
Jacob Magid contributed reporting.
The Times of Israel Community.