-Analysis-
BEIRUT — It can be assumed that the purpose of Donald Trump’s delusional proposal for Gaza is not meant to actually become a reality, especially since its details are nearly impossible to achieve.
The idea floated by the White House — to expel Palestinians and turn Gaza into a seaside tourist resort — is an extreme scenario meant to put pressure on negotiations, should a settlement that satisfies Washington and Israel not be reached.
Yet it is also notable that Trump’s vision shares a fundamental feature with the policies put forward by Hamas: to exclude the voices of the nearly two million Gazans from the equation.
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Immediately after the ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas held military parades on the sidelines of prisoner exchanges, sending a clear message that it intends to remain in charge on the devastated Strip, despite the suffering its actions have inflicted on its people. That was followed by Trump’s own show of force, declaring a “takeover” of Gaza.
Between these competing agendas, Gazans are forcibly excluded from deciding their own fate. Their future is not in their hands. According to Hamas, they have no say in who governs them; according to Trump, they have no rightful land to claim.
Plans of the powerful
The powerful make plans, and the people of Gaza are expected to comply. Now, they find themselves caught between two forces: a local power that stops at nothing to assert its dominance over them, and a newly unpredictable global power that does not hesitate to impose its will — not just on Gaza, but on the entire world.
Trump’s vision is based on the premise that Gaza is a “hellhole” for those who live there. He takes this as a starting point to propose the forced displacement of Gazans to “neighboring countries,” the reconstruction of the devastated enclave and its transformation into something “the entire Middle East can be very proud of,” with promises of “economic development” for the region’s inhabitants. Yet, he offers no guarantee that Gazans will be among those who can reap the rewards.
Hamas, on the other hand, prioritizes its agenda differently. It bases its policies on the fact that Gaza’s residents have a legitimate right to their land and the right to live in security, free from siege, and connected to the remaining Palestinians in the West Bank.
Hamas will never acknowledge the folly of Oct. 7
And yet the militant group launches strategies that disregard the daily realities of the people, which indeed leave them trapped in that “hellhole.” In Hamas’ narrative, the protagonists of the past two weeks during televised hostage-prisoner exchanges have been uniformed fighters, dressed in full, pristine military attire — outfits that were conspicuously absent during the war, seemingly reserved only for symbolic photo ops.
These appearances serve to reinforce the message that Hamas remains in control of the suffering people of Gaza, regardless of the destruction. The group has yet to acknowledge — and likely never will — the folly of the October 7, 2023 attack, which led Gazans into this dire and uncertain moment that may be spiraling into irreversible catastrophe. Hamas treats the war, which has set Gaza back by decades and placed it on the brink of a new Nakba, as an act of fate or as part of longstanding Israeli plans that would have unfolded with or without Hamas’ attack.
Gaza’s fate hangs
On the other side of this grim scenario stands Donald Trump, the self-styled savior of the United States. He believes—sometimes rightly, but often with grave misjudgment — that anything he says can be turned into reality. Even if it is sheer nonsense.
In his worldview, Washington can impose its will on anyone, anywhere. In Gaza, this means he’s ready to send military forces to enforce his vision “if necessary.” As for neighboring countries, they are expected to accept displaced Gazans, and “they will,” he insists — even if they publicly denounce his madness.Some of these “wealthy” neighboring states, he insists, will even fund his ambitions.
Needless to say, the triumph of either of these two extremes will only deepen Gaza’s tragedy. The loss of one’s homeland is unbearable, but so is remaining in it after it has been turned into a perpetual “hellhole.”
Maximalist posturing
It can be assumed that Trump’s delusional proposal is not intended to materialize, especially given its infeasibility — from the forced displacement of Gaza’s residents to the deployment of U.S. troops to commit war crimes, to the logistical and financial impossibility of implementing his vision for a Gaza “Riviera.”
Hamas’ exaggerated political ambitions can never happen after exposing Gaza to such devastating Israeli retaliation.
Instead, it is a form of maximalist posturing, designed to push the limits of what can be achieved should Washington and Israel fail to secure a favorable resolution in Gaza.
Likewise, it can be assumed that Hamas’ exaggerated political ambitions can never happen after exposing Gaza to such devastating Israeli retaliation. The current “truce” could collapse the moment Israel retrieves its remaining hostages.
So, will events unfold toward a middle ground between these two extremes — one that allows the people of Gaza to live with a minimum degree of dignity on their own land? This will not be possible without concerted Palestinian, Arab, and international efforts to curb both the madness of Trump and recklessness of Hamas.
