US Appears to Backtrack as Trump’s Gaza Plan Sparks Global Outcry

The Trump administration appeared to backtrack on its controversial proposal to take over Gaza, following widespread international condemnation. The United Nations warned that the plan could lead to “ethnic cleansing” in the Palestinian territory, and leaders around the world voiced their strong opposition.

The proposal, announced by President Donald Trump during a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggested that the United States would take control of Gaza, which has been devastated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Trump claimed that the U.S. would “own” the Gaza Strip and “do a job with it,” offering no clear plan on how the U.S. could manage or evacuate the two million Palestinians living there.

In response to the outcry, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the U.S. would not send troops or fund Gaza’s reconstruction. Leavitt further added that Trump’s plan did not imply permanent displacement but rather a temporary relocation of Palestinians to countries like Egypt and Jordan.

The international community quickly condemned the proposal. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that any forced displacement would be akin to ethnic cleansing, highlighting the inalienable rights of Palestinians to live in their own land. Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt also opposed the idea, calling it a violation of international law and a destabilizing force for the region.

Palestinian officials and Arab leaders denounced the plan as well. Hamas, which controls Gaza, rejected it as “racist” and “aggressive.” Human Rights Watch also condemned the proposal, arguing that it would make the U.S. complicit in war crimes.

While Trump suggested he might visit Gaza, Leavitt clarified that the plan involved temporarily relocating Gazans so the U.S. could rebuild the area. However, many Palestinians, like 41-year-old Gaza resident Ahmed Halasa, vowed to stay in their homeland, despite the devastation caused by Israel’s military offensive in response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack.

Israel’s offensive has left Gaza in ruins, with extensive damage to schools, hospitals, and civil infrastructure. The war, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, has resulted in a staggering loss of life. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 47,500 people have died in Gaza, most of them civilians, while Israel’s official figures report over 1,200 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Trump’s proposal, praising it as “the first good idea” he had heard, but also clarified that it would not necessarily mean permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

While the U.S. backtracked from many of the details of Trump’s plan, the proposal continues to provoke intense debate, with far-reaching implications for the future of Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.