February 4, 2025

President Donald Trump proposed relocated Gaza’s 2 million-plus Palestinians to other countries transforming Gaza he said into the “Rivera of the Middle East’ under U.S control. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, labeled Trump’s statements as “racist” and a clear attempt to eliminate the Palestinian issue, emphasizing that Palestinians are deeply rooted in their land and will not accept any plan aimed at uprooting them. Sami Abu Zuhri, another senior Hamas official, warned that such statements are a “recipe for chaos and regional tensions,” asserting that Gaza’s residents will not allow such plans to be implemented. Other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt rejected Trump’s proposal out of hand; Israeli reaction to his idea for Gaza’s future was mixed depending on current political outlooks and party identities. (source)