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What’s happening in Gaza after Trump’s bold promise to turn it into the «Middle East Riviera»
On February 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Gaza would come under U.S. control and be transformed from a battlefield into «a paradise on earth». When asked about the fate of Gaza’s population, Trump declared that residents would be relocated with the help of «kind-hearted» countries like Jordan, Egypt, and others willing to accept refugees.
But the leaders of these supposedly kind-hearted nations nearly had heart attacks when they heard this proposal and immediately rejected the «peace initiative». Why would Jordan or Egypt want to take in two million radicalized Palestinians, even if the U.S. promised generous funding in return? Trump’s idea of a «great population transfer» was met with near-universal condemnation — not only from Arab countries, but also from much of the international community. Arab leaders in particular understand that if Israel succeeds in transferring Gaza’s population, the territory will cease to be Arab — and with it, any leverage to pressure Israel into creating a Palestinian state as outlined in UN resolutions.
Nevertheless, emboldened by Washington’s support, Israel is pressing ahead with its plan to eliminate Hamas and remove Gaza’s population. By resuming and intensifying its military operations, Israel is pursuing multiple goals: fueling civilian discontent by blaming Hamas for their suffering, and planting the idea that life in a devastated Gaza is unbearable — and that emigration may be a better option.
There are already reports of rare protests in Gaza against Hamas — something unthinkable until recently. While these protests are not yet widespread, their very existence marks a significant shift.
But how realistic is this «transfer operation»? History knows examples of mass population transfers — such as the expulsion of Germans after World War II — but Israel faces unique challenges. No country is prepared to absorb two million people at once. Yet few expect such a scale. It’s likely that Israel and the U.S. will try to persuade individual countries to accept small numbers of refugees in exchange for economic and political incentives. Meanwhile, Gazans may be offered financial aid, free travel, housing, and the chance to start a peaceful life elsewhere.
But serious obstacles remain. Most notably, the remnants of Hamas are expected to respond with harsh repression — even acts of terror — against anyone attempting to leave, labeling them as traitors. The leadership understands that without civilians, there are no fighters to recruit, no international aid to control, and no future for Hamas as a political entity.
Second, the global Muslim community would likely view such a move as a second Nakba — the term used to describe the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians after the Arab-Israeli wars. Such a perception would make normalization between Israel and countries like Saudi Arabia impossible.
Third, there is the deep-rooted attachment of Palestinians to their ancestral homeland — a stark contrast to American-style mobility.
Hamas, for its part, seems to be fueling Israel’s military response — perhaps unintentionally — especially after Trump unveiled his redeployment plan. The continued rocket fire into Israel and the refusal to release the hostages taken on October 7 have led much of Israeli society to believe that now is the time to settle the Gaza issue once and for all. Without the population of Gaza, the thinking goes, there is no problem.
For Netanyahu, this is a way out of a political crisis. Domestic pressure is mounting from protesters demanding a cease-fire and the return of Israeli hostages at all costs. Political scandals and corruption investigations involving his allies are also pushing him to act decisively. Netanyahu sees this as a chance to go down in history as the biblical savior who freed Israel from the modern-day Amalekites.
So on March 18, after a two-month pause, the IDF launched Operation Strength and Sword, with the goal of seizing 25 percent of Gaza’s territory. Netanyahu believes that only intense military pressure will lead to the release of the hostages. According to Reuters, Israel recently offered Hamas a deal: release half of the 24 surviving hostages, and Israel would reinstate the cease-fire that ended on March 18. But Hamas insisted that Israel must withdraw completely from Gaza — a demand that has left both sides entrenched.
The IDF has renewed its advance into southern Gaza near the Egyptian border. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that the increased control could turn into a permanent occupation and lay the groundwork for a «voluntary relocation» program. Israel’s new military objective is to carve out a new buffer corridor in the south, north of the existing Philadelphi Corridor, separating Rafah from Khan Younis.
Netanyahu is candid about his vision: «Hamas will lay down its arms. Its leaders will be allowed to leave Gaza. We will provide overall security in the Strip and implement Trump’s plan for voluntary emigration. This is our plan — we don’t hide it and we are ready to discuss it at any time». In response, Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri called for global resistance: «In the face of this sinister plan, which combines mass killings and starvation, everyone capable of bearing arms must act — everywhere in the world».
But Hamas’ hopes for international intervention are fading. The long-awaited «Arab street uprising» has not materialized. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab states are not eager to confront Israel and risk a falling-out with the U.S. Instead, they seek economic benefits from cooperating with both. Despite vocal condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza, none of the signatories to the Abraham Accords have withdrawn. Turkish President Erdogan has confined himself to fiery rhetoric and prayers for divine punishment, distracted by mass protests over the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor. Lebanon and Syria are preoccupied with maintaining national integrity and can’t afford war. Iran, after setbacks in Lebanon and Syria, is bracing for U.S. or Israeli air strikes. Yemen has entered the fray, but its rocket launches and declarations of victory have yet to produce real results. Europe, traditionally a vocal defender of Gaza’s civilians, is now focused on Ukraine and the economic fallout from Trump’s tariff policy. In short, Hamas now stands alone against Israel — which sees this as a rare opportunity to act without international isolation.
Israel’s Defense Ministry has already set up a special agency — the Office for Voluntary Relocation from Gaza — headed by reserve Col. Yaakov Blitstein. The Mossad is also involved and is reportedly in talks with Somalia, South Sudan and Indonesia, according to the American news outlet Axios. Much now depends on Trump’s upcoming visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and possibly other Gulf states.
Meanwhile, Egypt has proposed a new deal, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: Hamas should provide detailed information — including videos — about all hostages, alive or dead, and in return Israel would cease military operations. But that moment seems to have passed. Israel is now determined to achieve two goals: to secure the return of its hostages, dead or alive, and — as Israel’s Telegram Channel put it — «to completely disarm Hamas, eliminate or exile its leaders, confiscate part of the Gaza Strip and place it under another administration. Hamas must be remembered as the group that led to the loss of Palestinian land».
Who might take over Gaza under this so-called «different administration» is anyone’s guess — but Arab nations aren’t exactly lining up for the job.
It’s even possible that after Gaza, Washington and Tel Aviv will turn their attention to the West Bank. A bill has already been introduced in the U.S. Congress to rename the «West Bank» as «Judea and Samaria» in official documents. Republican Senator Tom Cotton stated that Israel has «legitimate historic rights» to the area. If this happens — and with Israel controlling parts of Gaza — the dream of a Palestinian state will vanish like a desert mirage.
Predictably, conspiracy theorists claim that Israel staged the October 7 attack to justify annexing Gaza. But that would mean accepting Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranian leadership as Mossad agents — since their actions have led the entire Palestinian cause into a dead end.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 12 reports that 100 Gazans have already left for construction work in Indonesia as part of a pilot program. Al Jazeera notes that Ingushetia has accepted 200 refugees out of Muslim solidarity. Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel recently visited a southern airport to witness the departure of several hundred Gazans to Germany, Romania and the United Arab Emirates. He probably wasn’t there to wish them a speedy return.
But what is the emigration of a few thousand Palestinians out of a population of more than two million?