Gaza residents have strongly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians elsewhere, vowing to remain in their devastated homeland despite ongoing hardship. Trump’s vision of transforming the coastal enclave into a “Riviera of the Middle East” has been met with outrage, with many Palestinians calling it an attempt at forced displacement.
“Trump can go to hell, with his ideas, with his money, and with his beliefs. We are going nowhere. We are not some of his assets,” said Samir Abu Basel, a displaced father of five from Jabalia, speaking through a chat app. His sentiment reflects the broader refusal among Gazans to leave their homes, even after 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment that has claimed over 47,000 lives, according to Palestinian sources.
Trump’s proposal, which has been widely condemned by international leaders, envisions a luxury resort city replacing the war-torn Gaza Strip. The plan, announced amid an uneasy ceasefire, has sparked fears of a second “Nakba”—the catastrophe of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homes following the creation of Israel.
“We will not leave our areas, we will not allow a second Nakba,” declared Um Tamer Jamal, a 65-year-old mother of six from Gaza City. “We didn’t leave Gaza under the bombardment and the starvation. How does he intend to eject us? We are going nowhere.”
Palestinian Leadership and Global Response
Trump’s plan has unified Palestinian factions, with both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas rejecting what they see as an attempt to seize Gaza and expel its people.
Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PA, firmly stated that Palestinians would never relinquish their land, rights, or sacred sites, reaffirming that Gaza remains an integral part of Palestine along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Hamas senior official Sami Abu Zuhri called Trump’s statements “ridiculous and absurd,” warning that such a move could “ignite the entire region.” Hamas, which governed Gaza before the latest war with Israel, has insisted on maintaining the fragile ceasefire mediated by Egypt and Qatar, backed by the U.S. However, the long-term viability of the truce remains uncertain.
Gaza Residents Demand Reconstruction, Not Relocation
In Khan Younis, a city ravaged by Israeli airstrikes, families living among the ruins voiced their anger at Trump’s proposal. Sitting near the debris of a destroyed building, Ahmed Shahin addressed the U.S. president directly:
“You helped Israel in the first place in this destruction that we can see here. Therefore, you have to rebuild for us while we are on this land. You can’t say we have to leave for you to rebuild.”
For the people of Gaza, Trump’s plan is not an offer of prosperity but an attempt to erase their homeland. As the region braces for the next chapter of this geopolitical crisis, one message from Gaza is clear: they are staying, no matter the cost.
