New Delhi:
US President Donald Trump stood on a podium at the White House. Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who kept his gaze locked on Trump, the President delivered a proposal with characteristic bravado that would decide the fate of over 2 million people in a besieged territory around 9,500 km away. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it,” President Trump declared. But his declaration failed to answer a massive question: What about Hamas?
The armed Palestinian group, designated a terrorist organisation by the US, maintains a stronghold in Gaza and has ruled the enclave since 2007. It’s October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023 was followed by the Israelis launching a devastating attack on Gaza which has led to the deaths of over 50,000 and displacement of millions.
In his proposal, Trump offered no details on how his administration would handle Hamas or the implications of a US intervention in yet another country in the Middle East under turmoil.
“We will 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,” Trump said.
Netanyahu, standing beside Trump at the press conference, appeared pleased.
Trump has floated an idea that has stunned international observers: the idea that the United States could “own” Gaza after the war and resettle its Palestinian population elsewhere in the Middle East. His remarks have drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian groups, Arab nations, and international experts, raising questions about the feasibility of his vision.
Hamas Still Stands
Hamas remains a force in Gaza. Despite months of Israeli bombardment and ground operations aimed at dismantling it, Hamas has neither been eliminated nor driven out of the enclave. Its continued presence complicates any proposal for Gaza’s future-whether from Trump or any other political leader.
Hamas controls underground tunnel networks, maintains military capability, and continues to influence the population. While Netanyahu has vowed to destroy the group, that objective remains far from realised. Some analysts believe that completely eradicating Hamas could take years – if it is possible at all.
Trump has said that he does not want fighting to resume after the current ceasefire, yet his plan offers no realistic mechanism for removing Hamas from Gaza. Without a clear solution, his proposal faces immediate practical obstacles:
The Israeli military, after months of operations, has not fully dismantled the group. It is unlikely that any Arab country would commit troops to fight Hamas on behalf of an American-led administration in Gaza. Trump’s past foreign policy has centered on reducing US military involvement in the Middle East, and withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. The idea that he would commit American forces to secure Gaza for years contradicts his own foreign policy stance.
There is no indication that Hamas would voluntarily cede control or accept any external governance structure. Instead, it has vowed to resist displacement and any foreign-imposed rule over Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called Trump’s idea an attempt at “occupation” and demanded an emergency Arab summit to confront any efforts to expel Palestinians from Gaza.
“Gaza is for its people, and they will not leave,” Qassem said in a statement. “We call on the Arab peoples and international organizations to take strong action to reject the Trump project.”
The armed group does not intend to relinquish control or accept an imposed settlement.
The Arab Situation
Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s 2 million residents to other Arab countries faces near-universal rejection. Egypt and Jordan, the two countries most frequently mentioned in past discussions about potential refugee resettlement, have strongly opposed any such plan.
Jordan is home to a large Palestinian population already. Its King Abdullah has repeatedly warned that any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza would threaten his country’s stability. Many in Jordan believe that resettling Palestinians will lead Israel to annex the occupied West Bank.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has rejected the idea of taking in Gazan refugees, fearing that it would not only introduce Hamas-linked security threats into the Sinai Peninsula but also set a precedent for permanent displacement.
Even wealthy Gulf nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have shown no willingness to take in large numbers of displaced Palestinians. The Trump plan has no regional support.
Saudi Arabia has already dismissed Trump’s proposal. In recent months, Saudi officials have tied any future normalisation of relations with Israel to a concrete plan toward Palestinian statehood. Trump’s plan contradicts that goal, making it unlikely that Saudi Arabia would engage with it.