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Over a week ago, when US President Donald Trump called Gaza a demolition site following 16 months of assault and proposed to "clean out that whole thing", it wasn't clear how serious he was about the plan. But during his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it became profoundly clear that these were some off-the-cuff remarks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared to back Mr Trump's plan for an American takeover of Gaza, saying the Palestinian enclave must be free from Islamist group Hamas.
"Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people," Rubio said in a post on X.
Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 5, 2025
Neither the US president, nor his top envoy Rubio offered much detail on the proposal, but Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should move to Egypt and Jordan was rejected publicly by Palestinian leaders and those leading the Arab world while being condemned by human rights advocates as amounting to a proposal of ethnic cleansing.
ALSO READ: Trump Says US "Will Take Over Gaza Strip" After Meeting With Netanyahu
What Is Trump's Plan For Gaza?
"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. 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, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Donald Trump said in his opening remarks at the White House press conference with Israel's Natyenhyahu on Tuesday.
He said the US officials are framing his call to permanently "resettle" all Palestinians out of Gaza as a humanitarian gesture, as there is no alternative for people living there because Gaza is a "demolition site".
The United States has for decades backed a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians that would create a state for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel. Trump was asked if under him Washington no longer supported that.
"It doesn't mean anything about a two state or one state or any other state, it means that .. we want to give people a chance at life ... because the Gaza Strip has been a hell hole for people living there," Trump said without directly answering the question.
What Will Happen To Palestinians Living In Gaza?
The US President said Washington would ask other neighbouring countries to take in Palestinians displaced from Gaza. Since January 25, he has repeatedly asked Egypt and Jordan to do so, a proposal rejected by them and other Arab states. Gaza's population before the war was 2.3 million.
"Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly, bad luck. This could be paid for by neighbouring countries of great wealth," Trump said on Tuesday.
Who Will Live In Gaza Rebuilt By Trump?
"I envision world people living there, the world's people," Trump said when asked who did he envision living in Gaza.
"Palestinians also, Palestinians will live there, many people will live there," he added without elaborating further.
Is Trump Planning To Send US Troops To Execute His Plan?
When asked if Washington would send US troops to Gaza under his proposal, Mr Trump said, "We'll do what is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that. We're going to take over that piece. We're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of."
But Can US Execute Trump's Plan?
International law strictly prohibits any attempt to forcibly transfer a population. Gaza was already home to Palestinians who fled or were forced out of their homes in the wars surrounding Israel's creation. Mr Trump's proposed plan, if executed, would involve forcing these Palestinians elsewhere in the Arab world or even beyond.
The proposal also completely removes any possibility of a future two-state solution, and would likely be rejected by Palestinians and the Arab world as an expulsion plan aimed at ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land.
Arab leaders have already categorically rejected the US President's ideas. In a statement on Saturday, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League said that such a move could "threaten the region's stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples," according to a report by BBC.
However, under the Geneva Conventions, forced removal of the population could be permitted in specific situations like evacuating a civilian population when their security is at risk or due to imperative military reasons, and also when moving prisoners of war out of combat zones to internment facilities, provided the proper conditions are met. However, the key principle of such removals must be justified by compelling reasons related to security or military necessity and not be used for discriminatory or punitive purposes.
Situation In Gaza
US ally Israel's military assault on Gaza has killed over 47,000 Palestinians in the last 16 months, according to the Gaza health ministry, and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire population and caused a hunger crisis. The fighting has currently paused amid a fragile ceasefire.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.