Yakir Gabay, the Israeli businessman appointed to the “Gaza Executive Board” announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, has deep family ties to the Gaza Strip that date back more than a century.
Gabay is the Israeli citizen serving on the executive body that is set to operate alongside the “Board of Peace,” part of Trump’s postwar vision for Gaza. His great-grandfather, Hacham David Amos, was a prominent Jewish merchant, entrepreneur and land redeemer active in Gaza and its surrounding areas during the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods.
Amos, born in 1835 or 1840 and who died in Jerusalem in 1942, was among the leading Jewish traders in the Negev. He exported barley and watermelons to Europe and, together with Hacham Nissim Alkayam and Haj Ali al-Attauna, Beersheba’s first mayor, was among the region’s largest exporters at the time. The partners also initiated construction of the first pier at the Port of Gaza, completed in 1910.
Amos was involved in extensive real estate activity. He owned homes in Alexandria, Gaza and Rafah, maintaining families in both Egypt and Gaza. He also purchased large tracts of land near Rafah. One historical account says he acquired about 100,000 dunams near Egyptian Rafah through the mediation of the British consul Kazinovitz, with the intention of establishing Jewish settlement. Amos left Gaza following the 1929 Arab riots.
Amos is also the great-grandfather of Eti Ashad, a longtime spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry. Ashad said Gabay’s appointment carries symbolic significance for the family.
“With the appointment of David Amos’ great-great-grandson to the Peace Council for Gaza’s rehabilitation, a family circle has closed,” Ashad said. “The grandson of the grandson has come to complete what the grandfather began — shared life that gives hope to everyone. It is history’s irony.”
Gabay’s ties to the Justice Ministry extend further. His father, Meir Gabay, served as director general of the ministry, civil service commissioner and a member of Israel’s delegation to the United Nations. His mother, Yemima Gabay, now in her 90s, headed the ministry’s pardons department for more than two decades — the same department currently reviewing a clemency request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ashad said Yemima Gabay was known for her integrity and would not have supported a pardon.
Gabay, 60, was born in Jerusalem and today divides his time between Cyprus and Britain. He is active in high-tech, investments and real estate. After senior management roles in the capital markets, he served from the mid-1990s as CEO of Bank Leumi’s investment banking arm. In 2004, he began real estate activity in Berlin, which expanded significantly over the years. His personal wealth is estimated at $4.1 billion.
Like other members of the Gaza Executive Board announced by Trump, Gabay is expected to visit Gaza and work with a technocratic council composed of Palestinians.
People familiar with the process say Gabay’s ties to the White House began during the Biden administration and continued under Trump. In November 2023, about a month after the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Gabay presented a vision for Gaza’s “day after” together with business figures from the United States, Europe and Arab states. The initiative gradually gained traction behind the scenes.
A breakthrough came after Trump unveiled his 20-point plan, when the White House approached Gabay about joining the Gaza Executive Board. Gabay has said that while he is proud to be Israeli, he was invited in his capacity as an international businessman and does not represent Israel in an official role.
Gabay has maintained close personal ties for more than a decade with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former adviser, and has worked with him in the past. In recent years, he has also developed close ties with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy.
In a statement following the announcement, Gabay said it was “a great honor” to be appointed by Trump to serve voluntarily on the Board of Peace.
“I intend to work with my fellow board members to realize the president’s vision of peace through development, construction, prosperity and a free economy in the Gaza Strip, and to expand the Abraham Accords,” he said. He added that the full disarmament of Hamas was a prerequisite for implementing the development plan and said efforts would continue to secure the return of kidnapped Border Police fighter Ran Gvili for burial in Israel.