The entire population of Gaza could be relocated, and the United States may take control of the Palestinian territory under a plan reportedly being considered by the Trump administration, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
The plan envisions transforming the war-ravaged enclave left in ruins after Israel’s 2023 conflict triggered by the Hamas attack into a U.S. administered trusteeship for at least ten years.
Modeled on former President Donald Trump’s vision of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” the initiative aims to convert Palestinian lands, which are part of their claim for a future state, into a tourism and high-tech hub.
The Post reviewed a 38-page prospectus detailing the proposal.
It calls for the temporary relocation of Gaza’s two million residents, either through “voluntary” moves to other countries or into restricted, secured zones within the enclave during reconstruction.
Gaza landowners would receive a digital token from the trust in exchange for development rights to their property.
These tokens could be used to start anew elsewhere or later redeemed for an apartment in one of six to eight “AI-powered smart cities” planned for Gaza.
The Post cited sources familiar with the trust’s planning and U.S. administration discussions about postwar Gaza. The State Department did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Earlier this year, Trump shocked the world by suggesting that the U.S. should take control of Gaza, relocate its population, and build seaside real estate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the proposal, which has drawn strong criticism from numerous European and Arab countries.
Trump chaired a meeting last week on postwar plans for Gaza but the White House did not release a read-out afterward or announce any decisions.
The body that would administer Gaza under the plan now being considered would be called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust, said the Post.
The Post said the proposal was developed by some of the same Israelis who created the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distributing food inside the enclave amid much criticism from aid groups and the United Nations.
On July 22, the UN rights office said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF started operations, nearly three-quarters of them in the vicinity of GHF sites.
