Palestinian militant group Hamas has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries, regardless of their consent.
The controversial announcement was made during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump’s proposal, which lacked detailed plans, suggested removing over two million Palestinians from Gaza, clearing unexploded bombs and rubble, and redeveloping the area into what he described as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
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“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump declared, adding that he had support from unnamed leaders in the Middle East.
However, both Egypt and Jordan, mentioned as potential destinations for displaced Palestinians, have firmly rejected the idea.
Hamas swiftly condemned the plan, with spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou calling it a “racist” effort to eliminate the Palestinian cause. “The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” he said in a statement.
Netanyahu, standing beside Trump, praised the proposal, calling it a bold plan that could “change history.” He also expressed confidence in ongoing efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, despite the kingdom stating it would not formalize ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The plan has provoked widespread backlash. The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, reaffirmed his people’s commitment to Gaza, declaring, “Our homeland is our homeland.” Palestinians living in Gaza have similarly rejected the proposal, with residents decrying it as an affront to their dignity and history.
For many Palestinians, the proposal evokes memories of the “Nakba” in 1948, when hundreds of thousands were displaced during the creation of Israel.
The prospect of forced resettlement has drawn condemnation from Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, which mediated the recent Gaza ceasefire.
Trump was vague on how the plan would be executed, hinting at the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to one of the world’s most volatile regions.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu maintained a hardline stance against Hamas and its allies, vowing to crush the group’s capabilities and secure the return of hostages still held in Gaza.
The Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, has claimed thousands of lives, with Israeli retaliatory strikes causing significant casualties in Gaza.
Trump’s proposal now faces widespread opposition from Palestinians and Middle Eastern nations, casting doubt on its feasibility.
World’s reactions to Trump’s proposal
Palestine Liberation Organisation
Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said the PLO rejects all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland.
“The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace,” he said on X.
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas strongly rejected any plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza, saying “we will not allow any infringement of the rights of our people, which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve”.
“These calls represent a serious violation of international law,” he said. “Peace and stability will not be achieved in the region without establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of 1967, based on the two-state solution.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
“Trump’s positions and plans are a dangerous escalation that threaten Arab and regional national security, especially in Egypt and Jordan, which the US administration wants to put in confrontation with the Palestinian people and their rights,” PIJ said.
Palestine’s UN envoy
Riyad Mansour, leader of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, said people in Gaza should be allowed to reclaim what were once their homes in Israel.
“For those who want to send the Palestinian people to a ‘nice place’, allow them to go back to their original homes in what is now Israel,” he said, using Trump’s language. “The Palestinian people want to rebuild Gaza because this is where we belong.”
Israel
Former Israeli minister for national security Itamar Ben Gvir said that “encouraging” people from Gaza to migrate from the enclave was the only correct strategy at the end of the war in Gaza.
He also urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to adopt that policy “immediately”.
Egypt
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Trump’s plan with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. They spoke about the importance of moving forward with recovery projects in Gaza without Palestinians leaving the territory.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia said it would not normalise ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state.
The Foreign Ministry said it rejected any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land and described its stance as “clear and explicit” as well as not negotiable.
“Saudi Arabia also reiterates its previously announced unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, the annexation of Palestinian lands, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” it said.
Jordan
“His Majesty King Abdullah II stresses the need to put a stop to [Israeli] settlement expansion, expressing rejection of any attempts to annex land and displace the Palestinians,” Jordan’s Royal Court said.
Iran
“Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels,” a senior Iranian official said.
US Senator Chris Murphy
“He’s totally lost it,” Murphy, a Democrat, said on X. “A US invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of US troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke.”
US Senator Chris Van Hollen
“Trump’s proposal to push two million Palestinians out of Gaza and take ‘ownership’ by force, if necessary, is simply ethnic cleansing by another name,” Van Hollen, a Democrat, said. “This declaration will give ammunition to Iran and other adversaries while undermining our Arab partners in the region.”
Van Hollen said Trump’s proposal “defies decades of bipartisan American support for a two-state solution… Congress must stand up to this dangerous and reckless scheme.”
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
Democratic and Palestinian-American US representative Rashida Tlaib stressed that “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere”.
“This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.”
CAIR, a US Muslim advocacy group
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to expel Palestinians from their land is an absolute non-starter,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations said.
“If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation’s international image and standing.”
Russia
“There are Israeli plans to take full control of the occupied West Bank and attempts to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding “practicing a policy of collective punishment is a method that Russia rejects”.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added Russia believes a settlement in the Middle East is only possible on the basis of a two-state solution.
“This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option.”
China
China’s Foreign Ministry said it opposes the forced transfer of the people of Gaza and hopes all parties will take ceasefire and post-conflict governance as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian issue back to a political settlement based on the two-state solution.
Turkiye
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Trump’s comments are “unacceptable” and warned leaving Palestinians “out of the equation” would lead to more conflict.
Fidan said Turkiye would review the steps it has taken against Israel – cutting off trade and recalling its ambassador – if the killing of Palestinians stops and conditions change.
Germany
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Gaza Strip belongs to Palestinian people and their expulsion would be unacceptable and contrary to international law.
“It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred… There must be no solution over the heads of the Palestinians.”
France
“France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising factor for our close partners Egypt and Jordan, as well as for the entire region,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said in a statement.
Lemoine added the future of Gaza should be in the context of a future Palestinian state and should not be controlled by a third country.
Spain
“I want to be very clear on this: Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza,” Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said.
“Gaza is part of the future Palestinian state Spain supports and has to coexist guaranteeing the Israeli state’s prosperity and safety.”
Ireland
“It’s very clear the direction of travel here: we need a two-state solution and the people of Palestine and the people of Israel both have a right to live in states safely side by side, and that’s where the focus has to be,” Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Harris said.
“Any idea of displacing the people of Gaza anywhere else would be in clear contradiction with the UN Security Council resolutions.”
United Kingdom
“They [Palestinians] must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy added Palestinians have a future in their homeland.
“We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Brazil
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Trump’s proposal “makes no sense”.
“Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being,” Lula said. “Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza.”
Australia
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government continues to support a two-state solution “where both Israelis and Palestinians could live in peace and security”.
“We’ve supported a ceasefire, we’ve supported hostages being released and we’ve supported aid getting into Gaza,” he said.
However, Albanese refused to directly comment on Trump’s speech, saying: “I’m not going to have a running commentary on statements by the president of the United States.”
UN special rapporteur
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, said Trump’s plan was “unlawful, immoral and completely irresponsible”.
“What he proposes is … nonsense,” Albanese said at a news conference in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen. “It will make the regional crisis even worse. It’s incitement to commit forced displacement, which is an international crime. The international community is made up of 193 states and this is the time to give the US what it has been looking for: Isolation.”
Amnesty International
Paul O’Brien, executive director at Amnesty International US, said removing all Palestinians from Gaza was “tantamount to destroying them as a people”.
“Gaza is their home. Gaza’s death and destruction is a result of the government of Israel killing civilians by the thousands, often with US bombs,” he said.
