TEHRAN - President Donald Trump’s shocking plan for the Gaza Strip strongly suggests that the United States is working hand in glove with Israel to conduct an ethnic cleansing campaign in the Palestinian territory modeled on the mass dispossession of the 1948 Nakba. 

Speaking during a joint press conference alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on Tuesday, Trump put forward a proposal for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip. 
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” the US president said.  
The former real estate developer added, “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings.”

President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that the US should seize control of Gaza and permanently displace the entire Palestinian population In response to a question about the possibility of deploying US troops to Gaza in pursuit of his objectives, Trump said, “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that. We’re going to take over that piece that we’re going to develop it.”

The US president stressed that Palestinian people who live in the Gaza Strip should leave the territory. Earlier on Tuesday, he demanded that Palestinians in Gaza move to a new location provided by one or more nations in the region. 

Since assuming office on January 20, Trump has repeatedly called on Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians, although both Arab states have flatly rejected the idea.   

The US along with Qatar and Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on January 19. Trump takes credit for the truce agreement that paused Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The conflict has claimed the lives of close to 62,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. 

The three-phase ceasefire is expected to lead to the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and the release of captives held in Gaza. 

The Israeli military launched war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel. The Hamas attack dubbed the Al-Aqsa Storm resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 individuals, while about 250 others were taken captive.

Netanyahu had vowed to continue the war until eliminating Hamas and releasing all the captives.

Protesters outside the White House call for the transfer of the Israeli PM, who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes in Gaza, to The Hague, February 4, 2025 [Mandel Ngan/AFP]

He had no choice but to acquiesce to the truce deal following his inability to accomplish his military objectives.

Since the implementation of the January ceasefire, Hamas has freed 18 captives in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli jails. Hamas also released more than 100 captives during a week-long truce in November 2023.

Presently, Trump’s suggestion to remove Palestinians from Gaza and have the US take ownership clearly indicates that Washington has no scruples about violating the ceasefire. 

Trump’s idea is in line with Israel’s plans to forcibly displace Palestinians. 

Nearly a week after the initiation of the Gaza war, Israel’s Intelligence Ministry drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the enclave’s 2.3 million population to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

It suggested relocating Gaza's civilian population to tent cities in northern Sinai, followed by the construction of permanent cities and an unspecified humanitarian corridor. 

Protesters in Washington express their outrage regarding Netanyahu's invitation to the United States

The authors of the document considered it the most desirable for Israel’s security.

Netanyahu's office downplayed the significance of the document which drew condemnation from Egypt and the Palestinians. 

Nonetheless, the Financial Times reported in late October 2023 that Netanyahu sought to convince European leaders to put pressure on Cairo to accept refugees from Gaza. 

The strategies proposed by both Trump and Israel regarding Gaza exhibit characteristics reminiscent of a second Nakba, a term in Arabic that translates to catastrophe.

Zionist military forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands a day after the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948.

However, the circumstances have entirely changed since the Al-Aqsa Storm was carried out. The First Intifada or uprising in 1987 and the Second Intifada in 2000 shook Israel’s foundations. But the Al-Aqsa Storm shattered the image of Israel’s invincibility that the regime had maintained for decades. 

Currently, the ethnic cleansing plan pursued by Trump and Netanyahu could spark a third Intifada. It is certain that resistance groups would transform the Gaza Strip into a burial ground for American soldiers should Trump fulfill his commitment to deploy them to the region.

Meanwhile, some believe that Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and assume “ownership” of the territory is an off-the-cuff proposal. 

However, Trump’s proposal is based on America’s imperialistic and hegemonic aspirations.