The “Board of Peace” slated to serve as the governing oversight body for the Gaza Strip, has finalized its first construction contract on the ground: a project to build a basic military outpost for 150 personnel to house Moroccan soldiers, an anonymous source reported to British media. The contract, which has not yet been fully finalized, was awarded to Arkel International—a Louisiana-based U.S. company that has previously executed government contracts in locations such as Iraq.
In an email sent by a senior official in the Board of Peace, it was stated that the Board and the “National Committee for Gaza Management”—an entity intended to function as Gaza’s civil government akin to the ‘Palestinian’ Authority—are “in the final stages of preparing several contracts for award, though none have been finalized yet.”
The base currently planned will span only 100 by 120 meters and is designed to house a force of Moroccan soldiers who will rotate from a staging base inside Israel, according to the source. The outpost will be situated inside the Yellow Line zone controlled by our forces, approximately 1.5 kilometers from Israeli territory, and will feature a “rapid extraction route” in the event the small contingent comes under attack.
In earlier contract blueprints disclosed in the UK, the 150-person facility represented the initial phase of a broader plan to build a 5,000-troop military installation in Gaza for the stabilization force. The final base is designed to include combat positions for armored fighting vehicles, a perimeter earthen berm, and basic amenities suitable for short-term deployments. The preliminary contract noted that the first phase will consist of “tents and cots for troop lodging, as well as chemical toilets and handwashing stations—deemed suitable for habitation.”
News of the base construction comes just three days after Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Board President Nikolay Mladenov in a session described as positive. In a statement issued by the Board following the meeting, it was noted that both sides share a mutual understanding—centered on complete demilitarization of the Strip and a transition to civilian governance. The statement added that the IDF will withdraw from the Yellow Line only after demilitarization is achieved, though the deployment of hundreds of Moroccan soldiers within the Yellow Line sector was not mentioned.