April 21 (Reuters) – Representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” have held talks with state-owned Dubai multinational DP World about managing supply chains and infrastructure projects in Gaza, the Financial Times said on Tuesday.
Rehabilitation of Gaza, where two years of Israeli bombardment have destroyed four-fifths of buildings, has been projected by global institutions to cost around $70 billion.
Citing three people familiar with the matter, the paper said the talks centred on prospects for a partnership between DP World and the Board of Peace to run logistics.
These efforts would cover humanitarian aid and other goods entering Gaza, including warehousing, tracking systems and security, it added.
Other ideas floated during the talks included a new port in either Gaza or on the nearby Egyptian coast built by the company based in the United Arab Emirates, which could also develop a free-trade zone in the war-shattered strip, the paper said.
DP World and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Trump proposed the Board of Peace last September to oversee his plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza, subsequently saying it would tackle other conflicts.
His Gaza plan envisages withdrawal of Israeli troops with reconstruction starting as Hamas lays down its weapons.
(Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence Fernandez)
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