Israel Could Send Humanoid Robots Into Gaza's Tunnels as Eric Trump-Backed Firm Pitches War Tech

A US robotics start-up that counts Eric Trump as an investor and adviser has said it is in talks to supply Israel's military with up to 1,000 humanoid robots for Gaza tunnels.

Foundation Future Industries told the Financial Times that its Phantom MK1 robots could patrol tunnels in Gaza and potentially engage in combat with Hamas, a prospect critics online called 'dystopian'.

'We're in direct talks with the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces,' Foundation co-founder and president Mike LeBlanc told the FT.

'Direct Talks' With the IDF

The talks concern a potential supply of up to 1,000 Phantom MK1 humanoids, although no purchase agreement has been announced, The Telegraph reported. Each robot costs about £115,000 ($150,000), according to the newspaper.

The robots would patrol the network of Hamas tunnels under Gaza, which The Telegraph said spans about 300 miles, though estimates vary.

According to the company, they can neutralise booby traps, detect trip wires and potentially engage in combat.

LeBlanc denied that the firm was building a 'Terminator'. He argued the robots could spare soldiers from dangerous tasks such as breaching doors.

The Telegraph did not report any response from the Israel Defense Forces, and the deal has not been finalised.

Eric Trump's Role

Eric Trump holds an equity stake in Foundation, which was founded in 2024, and was named its chief strategic adviser in March.

LeBlanc described the president's son as 'very mechanically inclined' and said he had been 'very valuable as an adviser'. He added that Trump had no part in securing any contract.

A spokesman for Eric Trump told the FT that he never introduced the Foundation to any government agency and did not take part in government contract negotiations. The spokesman said he has 'no involvement in Foundation's management, operations, strategic decisions or commercial activities'.

LeBlanc said the two-year-old company has already received more than £53 million ($70 million) in US military contracts. Two Phantom MK1 units were reportedly sent to Ukraine in February 2026 for front-line reconnaissance, resupply and logistics testing, The Telegraph reported.

'Next Level Dystopian'

The report drew criticism online. 'Imagine humanoid robots pursuing you, if you've survived this long in Gaza,' X user @noplaceforsheep wrote. 'Next level dystopian terror,' the user added, quoting a post from the account Politics Global that read: 'The IDF is set to deploy humanoid robots in Gaza, produced by a start-up backed by Eric Trump.'

'If we allow in Gaza, they will be rolled out everywhere, its [sic] War of the Worlds in real time!' one reply read.

The deal would put a company linked to the president's family inside one of the world's most scrutinised conflicts. Israel's war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023.

Foundation is not the only firm with links to the Trump administration to win attention in Israel's defence sector. Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners holds a major stake in Phoenix Financial, an Israeli financial group that invests in companies supplying Israel's military, The Telegraph reported. One of Phoenix's holdings, Smart Shooter, won a US military contract worth up to £114 million ($150 million).

Kushner serves as a US special envoy and sits on the Board of Peace, which The Telegraph described as the US body charged with ending the war in Gaza. Contract awards to Trump-linked companies have drawn fierce criticism, the newspaper noted.