President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

On 4 February 2025, U.S. president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

declared his intent for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to take over administrative control of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. The proposal was made during a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

in the war between

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

-led

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

militants. Trump expressed his vision to re-develop the territory into the "

Riviera () is an Italian word which means , ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria (the Genoa region in northwestern Italy) in the form , then shortened in English. Riviera may a ...

of the Middle East". The plan would call for the

forced displacement Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of perse ...

of approximately 2 million

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

to neighboring lands. It would also require the removal of over 50 million tonnes of debris and

unexploded ordnance Unexploded ordnance (UXO, sometimes abbreviated as UO) and unexploded bombs (UXBs) are explosive weapons (bombs, shell (projectile), shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, cluster munition, and other Ammunition, munitions) that did not e ...

. When asked how the territory will be acquired, Trump claimed the U.S. will "take it". The proposal has received negative reception from several nations and organizations, contrasting with strong support from Israeli prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

. Trump's proposal for Gaza is against international law; the forcible transfer of populations is prohibited. Members of Trump's administration have walked back on elements of the plan on a few occasions, although in one subsequent statement, Trump held firm to his original plan. On 21 February 2025, after opposition from

Arab states The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, Trump said he would "recommend" but not enforce his plan for the American takeover of Gaza and the re-settlement of the Palestinian population.

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

leaders met in March to create a counter proposal to Trump's plan, which was rejected by the U.S. and Israel due to concerns about the proposed governance of postwar Gaza and other issues. The White House released a statement that Trump stood by his vision of Gaza without Hamas and welcomed additional talks. In July, Netanyahu met with Trump and reiterated support for the plan of relocating Palestinians, saying it was "free choice" if Palestinians wanted to stay or leave. The US and Israel were working to identify cooperating countries for the plan.

Background

The

, now a part of the

State of Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, has previously been under Ottoman,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, and

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

control. Israel directly occupied the entirety of Gaza from 1967 to

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, when the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

assumed civil control of most of the region. In 2005, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip, the same year the militant group

won parliamentary elections in the region. Decades-long U.S. diplomacy on Israel and the Palestinians have not produced successful resolutions in the conflict. The

has seen a major scale of destruction since the beginning of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

in October 2023. Civilians who were internally displaced have been able to return to their homes since the ceasefire which began on 15 January 2025. The cost of rebuilding Gaza has been estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Calls to displace Palestinians from Gaza mirror demands made by those in the Israeli far-right who have often called for ethnically cleansing Palestinian land to open it up to foreign settlement.

Proposal

On 4 February 2025, Trump stated in a joint press conference with Netanyahu that the United States will "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip, levelling and reconstructing the territory which will provide "unlimited amounts of jobs and housing for the people of the area". The plan would involve clearing rubble, dismantling weaponry and removing

, which the U.S. would be responsible for. BBC reported that the amount of debris was over 50 million

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

s and that clearing the debris could take up to 21 years. Regarding the question of Palestinians inhabiting the territory and being currently displaced from it due to war, Trump stated that Gaza would instead be inhabited by "the world's people", whereas the Palestinians would be relocated to an unspecified "beautiful area", and will not be permitted to return to Gaza. Trump said that Gazans would be relocated to six "safe communities" a "little bit away" from Gaza. On 5 February, members of Trump's administration walked back on the permanent resettlement rhetoric, contradicting Trump's comments the day before.

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

and

Karoline Leavitt Karoline Claire Leavitt ( ; born August 24, 1997) is an American spokesperson who, since 2025, has served as the 36th White House press secretary. She was the Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congr ...

said the idea was to relocate Gazans for a temporary period of clearing rubble and rebuilding. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would support Trump's plan to have the Gazans return. On 9 February, Trump said that the US would buy Gaza and that it might be given to other Middle Eastern states to rebuild. On 10 February, Trump said the Gazans would not be allowed to return. On 11 February, he said that the US was not buying anything and would just "have" and "keep" Gaza. UN officials said that Trump's plan would essentially involve the

ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...

of Gaza. '' The Hill'' reported that Trump was sending "mixed messages" about the fate of the Gazans and that he was not being clear about the long-term plan of displacement.

Mike Waltz Michael George Glen Waltz (born January 31, 1974) is an American politician, businessman, author, and former United States Army Special Forces, Army Special Forces officer who is President Donald Trump's current nominee for United States ambassa ...

, national security adviser to Trump, suggested that Trump's proposal was an initial invitation to other regional players to bring solutions to the table. Marco Rubio similarly said that it was time for other regional powers to "step forward" and that "If the Arab countries have a better plan, then that’s great." Trump has requested that Arab governments like Egypt and Jordan take in the displaced Palestinian populations.

Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

, meeting with

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

prior, entered into talks with Trump about the plan but did not directly agree with or contradict the president, suggesting instead that Egypt would propose an alternative plan. It is reported that Trump's plan is based on a paper drawn up by economics professor Joseph Pelzman. On 21 February 2025, after opposition from

, Trump said he would "recommend" but not enforce his plan for the US takeover of Gaza and the resettlement of the Palestinian population. On 12 March 2025, Trump said that "nobody is expelling any Palestinians" from Gaza, which signaled a change from his previous stance. On 15 May 2025, during his presidential visit to

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, Trump reiterated his desire for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and "make it a freedom zone." According to "three sources familiar with the effort," Israel and the United States were interested in resettling Gazans to either

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, or the separatist Somali regions of

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

and

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

and Sudan rejected the proposal, while Puntland and Somaliland expressed willingness to enter discussions on the matter in exchange for diplomatic recognition. In May 2025, reports emerged that the Trump administration was working on a plan to permanently relocate 1 million Gazans to

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, while offering the release of around $30 billion in funds frozen by the U.S. since the toppling of the regime of

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

in exchange for Libyan authorities agreeing to the deal. In July, Netanyahu met with Trump and reiterated support for the plan of relocating Palestinians, saying it was "free choice" if Palestinians wanted to stay or leave. The US and Israel were working to identify countries for this plan.

AI-generated video

A video posted on social media by Donald Trump on 26 February 2025 about the proposal has drawn criticism from Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. and abroad. The AI-generated video depicts Gaza transformed into a luxury resort called "Trump Gaza," featuring Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing, children emerging from rubble into an upscale setting, and a golden statue of Trump. It also includes scenes of bearded men dancing in bikinis, Trump enjoying a belly dancer, and a figure resembling Elon Musk being showered with cash. The video also received criticism from Republicans and conservatives on

Truth Social Truth Social (stylized as TRUTH) is an alt-tech social media platform owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), an American media and technology company majority-owned by U.S. president Donald Trump. It has been called a "Twitter clone" ...

, as well as on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. The video was not created by Trump; NBC News reported that the video was first posted on 7 February by a pro-Israel X account. Later, the actual creators of the video came out saying they did not know how Trump obtained the video and criticized Trump for posting the video without credit or permission. They described it as being created as satire and a joke, not a political statement, and they did not support Trump's "propaganda machine." ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' suggested that the video typifies a new form of political communication, where "knowingly absurd" AI-generated content conveys controversial ideas under the plausible deniability of humor.

Analysis

Quincy Institute's political scientist Annelle Sheline has argued that Trump's plan for Gaza would not only constitute ethnic cleansing, but would also destabilise the Middle East, since the displacement of Palestinians into Jordan would provoke a period of social upheaval that could topple the Jordanian monarchy and create an entirely new state in the region. Anelle argued that if such an event were to take place, the

Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings sp ...

could seize control of the country. This view has been supported by Paul Piller (fellow at the Quincy Institute) who argued that the displacement of Palestinians into Jordan would effectively end the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement of 1994 and risk the overthrow of the Jordanian monarchy. Oraib Rantawi, head of the

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Al Quds Center for Political Studies, said the plan would affect Jordan's demography, identity, and security. Egyptian officials warned that the inflow of hundreds of thousands of Hamas militants into the Sinai border resulting from the plan would destabilize the region and put Egypt's peace agreement with Israel in jeopardy. Also at the Quincy Institute, Rabwan Ahari has argued that Trump's proposal signals a clear and substantial departure from America having "even the pretense of supporting a two-state solution." They further argued that this plan amounted to a statement that Palestinian displacement was the goal of US policy surrounding the region. Legal experts such as Janina Dill (co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict) have weighed in on Trump's rationale, saying that the argument that it would benefit the people living in a territory is no justification (legal or otherwise) for seizing it by force. The

Brookings Institute The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

's Natan Sachs reiterates this point and adds that the proposal would be incredibly difficult and expensive to pull off, as well as risking "the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire-hostage deal." In ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

'', Dahlia Scheindlin described the alleged plans as "bereft of logic or fact", and analysed the ways in which the far-right in Israel (and elsewhere) had seized on the plan, criticizing the "fuzzy, fake math" being used to suggest that Palestinians would support Trump's move.

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's Stephen Collinson wrote that the plan would also be unpopular at home in the US, given that, in his words, Trump "partly owes his rise to a political base wearied by sending its sons and daughters to war in the post-9/11 era." :fr:Dominique Vidal, a French expert on the Middle East, compared this proposal to the

Madagascar Plan The Madagascar Plan () was a plan proposed by the Nazi German government to forcibly relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar. Franz Rademacher, head of the Jewish Department of the German Foreign Office, propose ...

, a prelude to the

Final Solution The Final Solution or the Final Solution to the Jewish Question was a plan orchestrated by Nazi Germany during World War II for the genocide of individuals they defined as Jews. The "Final Solution to the Jewish question" was the official ...

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

said that Trump does not have the ability to carry out his plan whether legally, militarily, or diplomatically.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

said that it was not clear if Trump would move forward with the plan or if the proposal was an extreme negotiation tactic. Critics have said his first term was full of exaggerated foreign policy announcements, of which many were never implemented. Trump has said repeatedly that he wanted to end "ridiculous" wars and prevent the start of new ones. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gazan analyst and

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

fellow, said that Trump's vision could not believably be considered an option and that it was transparently impossible. He wrote that Trump may be trying to pressure Arab nations into action through threatening to take over the Strip and communicating that he would become involved if there was not Arab initiative, including finance from Gulf nations. Alkhatib added that regardless of Trump's intentions, his statements have been damaging and have further contributed to the perception of the unhelpfulness of the United States.

Arab counter-proposal

On 21 February, the Arab leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the future of Gaza. Their goal was to be a "united front" and provide an alternative to Trump's plan. Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of a political research group in West Bank, said the process would be complex and that the greatest obstacle for the Arab leaders is to introduce a plan that is realistic and can be enforced on the Palestinian factions, while at the same time being a plan that the U.S. and Israel could accept. Arab leaders planned to meet for a broader summit on 4 March in Cairo to find a plan for Gaza before their diplomats travel to Washington D.C. "within weeks" to meet with President Trump to present their counter plan.

March summit and Egyptian proposal

On 4 March, at the Extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo on Developments in the Palestinian Issue, Arab leaders adopted a $53 billion plan proposed by Egypt that did not involve displacing Palestinians from the Strip. The plan was to create an interim committee of "independent, professional Palestinian technocrats" to govern Gaza to prepare for the

’s return. Hamas said that it would not bring its own candidates to the proposed governing committee but that it would need to give its permission in regards to the committee’s tasks, members and agenda. Mahmoud Abbas said that he would be prepared to hold elections, which Hamas welcomed. The summit released an AI-enhanced presentation showing modern housing developments, as well as blueprints for resorts and attractions. The plan was to seek international funding. The plan outlines a six-month phase of recovery providing temporary housing for 1.5 million displaced Palestinians within seven sites in Gaza, followed by a two-stage reconstruction program: a two-year first stage of $20 billion and a 2.5 year second stage of $30 billion.'' The New York Times'' reported the funding for the plan remains unclear as Gulf states will be reluctant to invest in rebuilding Gaza only to see it destroyed again if violence returns. The Israeli foreign ministry said the plan had "outdated" outlooks and rejected the plan's dependence on the Palestinian Authority, adding that Hamas would be given power by the plan. When asked if Trump supported the Arab leaders' plan, a White House spokesman said that the current Arab plan does not address that Gaza is "currently uninhabitable" for Palestinians to live in to due to the amount of debris and unexploded ordnance, adding that "President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region." The US special envoy

Steve Witkoff Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor and lawyer who has served as the Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East ...

said the plan had "compelling features", was a good first step, and they needed additional discussions. The plan was also endorsed by the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, 57 member s ...

and several European countries. On 12 March, Arab foreign ministers confirmed continuous consultations on Egypt's plan with the U.S. special envoy.

Reactions

Middle East

president

stated "We will not allow the rights of our people ..to be infringed on" and affirmed that Gaza is "an integral part of the State of Palestine." Palestinian foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian reiterated the Palestinian Authority's ''de jure'' authority over the Gaza Strip, rejected the plan as "unacceptable", and called on other Western countries to do the same. *: Hamas condemned Trump's plan and warned that such a plan would "put oil on the fire in the region". *: Yemeni Houthi authorities released a statement saying that the plan represented "American arrogance" that will subsume all if it is met with "submission from the Arabs". *: Iran stated that "Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels" *: Saudi Arabia rejected the plan and said that it would "continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that". *: Trump's plan was met with support in Israel with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he was committed to the realization of the plan, rejecting the Palestinian Authority's or Hamas' governance of Gaza. Trump's proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza was supported by Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister

Israel Katz Israel Katz (; born 21 September 1955) is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Likud currently serving as Ministry of Defense (Israel), Minister of Defense and a member of the Security Cabinet of Israel. Katz has been recognized ...

, Israeli opposition leader

Yair Lapid Yair Lapid ( ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party and a former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in t ...

, and the majority of the Israeli public. *: King

rejected President Trump's proposal for Jordan to absorb Palestinians living in Gaza. There are already more than 2 million

Palestinian refugees Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country, village or house over the course of the 1948 Palestine war and during the 1967 Six-Day War. Most Palestinian refug ...

in Jordan who fled due to the Arab–Israeli wars. *: Egypt rejected American plans to annex Gaza and did not agree to take into Egypt displaced Palestinians. Instead, the Egyptian government responded by proposing a counter-offer of Egypt-led reconstruction of the strip. Egypt also signalled that the ethnic cleansing of Gaza would lead to the end of the

Egypt–Israel peace treaty The Egypt–Israel peace treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., United States, on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt–Israel treaty was signed by Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minist ...

. *: Syrian president

Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...

criticized Trump's plan, calling it a "serious crime that will ultimately fail." In an interview with ''

The Rest Is Politics ''The Rest Is Politics'' is a British podcast and television series hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. It launched in March 2022, and has since become one of the leading political podcasts in the United Kingdom. The podcast is produce ...

'', al-Sharaa claimed that "no power can drive people from their land" and that "over 80 years of this conflict, all attempts to displace alestinianshave failed; those who left have regretted their decision. The Palestinian lesson that every generation has learned is the importance of holding on to their land." *: Turkish president Erdogan rejected Trump's plan, highlighting that it would be a major threat to world peace.

Hakan Fidan Hakan Fidan (born on 17 July 1968) is a Turkish politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since June 2023. He was previously the director of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) from March 2010 until June 2023.''To ...

, the Turkish foreign minister called the plans unacceptable. *: Emirati ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al-Otaiba stated that he sees "no other alternatives" to Trump's proposal.

North America

* : U.S. president Donald Trump declared his intent to take over Gaza, remove its Palestinian inhabitants, and re-develop it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," although members of Trump's administration have walked back on elements of the plan. ** The US's takeover of the Gaza Strip was supported by 15% of Americans, with 62% expressing opposition. ** U.S. Senator

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

wrote, "We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers' blood." ** Organizations such as the Arab Americans for Trump and Uncommitted National Movement criticized Trump's proposal.

Asia

*: China rejected the American proposal and highlighted that "China has always believed that Palestinian rule is the basic principle of post-war governance in Gaza". *: North Korea condemned the plan, stating that the plan amounted to "slaughter and robbery" and argued that the plan was evidence of America's "hegemonic, invasive ambition for world dominance".

Europe

*: German Chancellor

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...

said that "Any resettlement plans, the idea that the citizens of Gaza will be expelled from there to Egypt or Jordan, is unacceptable." *: Russia's

foreign ministry In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...

said that Trump's remarks were "shocking" and would add to tensions in the region. A

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

spokesperson said that the Kremlin was waiting for more details on the plan.

International organisations

*: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Gaza was an integral part of a future Palestinian state. *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

Agnès Callamard Agnès Paulette Solange Callamard (; born 14 March 1963) is a French human rights activist who is the Secretary General of Amnesty International. She was previously the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions appoint ...

condemned Trump's plan to take over Gaza and forcibly relocate Palestinians, calling it "outrageous and shameful." She said it would be a war crime and urged the global community to reject it and uphold Palestinian rights. *

International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations The International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations (ICOR) is an association of more than 40 "autonomous, independent and self-reliant" communist parties and organizations. ICOR is composed heterogeneously, in light of the ...

: The ICOR released a statement condemning Trump's Gaza plan saying that it would be tantamount to a new Nakba.