Alligator Alcatraz group reportedly had "inside track" for contract to rebuild Gaza
Washington DC - Companies are reportedly competing for contracts in plans to rebuild Gaza after two years of all-out Israeli assault, including a group behind Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center.
The Guardian reported that Gothams LLC has been among the groups vying for contracts in White House plans to rebuild Gaza. The group previously received a $33-million contract to help run Alligator Alcatraz, the notorious immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades where US authorities have been accused of torturing immigrants.
Documents and three sources indicated to The Guardian that Gothams LLC had an "inside track" to securing the contract.
The company's founder, Matt Michelsen, told the outlet they were backing out due to security concerns.
The vast majority of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble after more than two years of relentless Israeli bombardment. The United Nations has said that around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct the Palestinian territory.
The UN in November backed Donald Trump's plan to establish a so-called Board of Peace, chaired by the US president, which will be tasked with administering the territory.
Separately, the White House has reportedly convened a task force on Gaza led by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and former senior advisor to US Ambassador to Israel Aryeh Lightstone.
Former DOGE official Adam Hoffman has reportedly circulated a planning document for a logistics scheme in Gaza calling for a "Master Contractor" to deliver humanitarian and commercial goods into the territory, an operation which The Guardian estimates would generate $1.7 billion per year just on trucking fees.
"Everybody and their brother is trying to get a piece of this," a source told the outlet. "People are treating this like another Iraq or Afghanistan. And they’re trying to get, you know, rich off of it."
Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza since a supposed ceasefire agreement took effect in October and continues to severely restrict the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory. Amnesty International has warned that Israel is "still committing genocide" in Gaza in spite of the deal.
Cover photo: REUTERS