Israeli finance minister describes plans to turn Gaza into a 'real estate bonanza' as bombs hammer the enclave

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday that the destruction in the Gaza Strip could be turned into a lucrative real estate opportunity.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Wednesday that the destruction in the Gaza Strip could be turned into a lucrative real estate opportunity, echoing past remarks by President Donald Trump that outraged Palestinians and their supporters and raised questions about international law.

Speaking at a real estate conference in Tel Aviv focused on the theme of urban renewal, Smotrich — a far-right minister in an Israeli government known for its right-wing political positions — said serious discussions were underway to rebuild Gaza as a business enterprise with American help.

“There’s a business plan — listen to me carefully — there’s a business plan set by the most professional people there is and is on President Trump’s table and how this thing turns into a real estate bonanza. I’m not kidding; it pays off,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

“I have started negotiations with the Americans — I say this not jokingly now — because I also demand, we paid a lot of money for this war, so we need to divide how we make a percentage on the land marketing later in Gaza. And now, no kidding, we’ve done the demolition phase, which is always the first phase of urban renewal. Now we need to build; it’s much cheaper.”

Any plans to take over the land or property left behind by displaced Palestinians would be a violation of international law, experts say.