What you need to know about Donald Trump’s Gaza plan
Donald Trump’s announcement that he wants to “develop” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” has been described as “absurd” and “entirely unrealistic”.
During a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late on Tuesday, Mr Trump proposed that the two million people living in Gaza could be moved to Jordan, Egypt – and beyond.
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While it is not clear how Gaza will be rebuilt when the current conflict between Hamas and Israel ends – it is equally uncertain how the US would come to “own” Gaza, resettle its population, and redevelop the land.
Destroyed buildings in Rafah, Gaza. Pic: Reuters
What did Trump say about the Gaza Strip?
Mr Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site” where “virtually every building is down”.
Laying out his idea of what would happen beyond an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, he proposed: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too.”
He said America would be “responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site”, before it would “get rid of the destroyed buildings”, and “level it out”.
The ruins of a house in Rafah, Gaza. Pic: Reuters
He envisioned an “economic development”, which he described as the “Riveria of the Middle East” – that would create thousands and thousands of jobs”.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs,” he added.
The White House has described the plan as “out-of-the-box” and “visionary”.
What about the population?
Gaza’s two million people would not return to their territory under Mr Trump’s plans.
Instead, he suggested building “various domains” for them to “permanently… live out their lives in peace and harmony instead of having to go back and do it again”.
This could take the form of “numerous sites” or “one large site”, he added.
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The only locations he mentioned by name were Jordan and Egypt, which he said, despite their leaders consistently refusing to resettle more Palestinian refugees, would “give us the kind of land we need to get this done”.
He described the new sites as a “beautiful area to resettle people, permanently in nice homes, where they can be happy and not shot… and killed… like what’s happening in Gaza”.
He said “neighbouring countries of great wealth” could finance them – without stipulating to what extent this would involve the US.
There were no details on whether the plans change the current US position of a two-state solution for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
A refugee camp in southern Gaza for displaced Palestinians. Pic: AP
Who controls Gaza – and who has occupied it in the past?
Gaza has been under the control of Hamas since 2007 – after it dominated the 2006 elections and subsequent violent clashes with fellow Palestinian group Fatah.
The area made up of Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank has a long and complicated history – with both Israel and Palestinians laying claim to various parts of it.
In 1917, the British took control of what was then known as Palestine from the Ottoman Empire.
Under the Balfour Declaration, they promised to create a Jewish homeland there.
Jewish people then began migrating to the region in large numbers – accelerated by the threat of Nazism in Europe and the Second World War, which created tension with the Palestinian people already living there.
When the United Nations was set up after the war in 1947, it proposed a partition plan – whereby roughly 45% of the land would belong to the Palestinian people and 55% to Jewish people. Jerusalem, which has particular sensitivities because of its religious significance to both sides, was proposed as a separate international territory.
This plan was never actioned – and instead – the state of Israel was declared in 1948.
The Arab-Israeli war that broke out immediately after the declaration saw 750,000 Palestinian people forced from their homes in what was known as the Nakba – or “catastrophe” in English. They were given refugee status by the UN and fled to neighbouring countries.
The Palestinians retained control of two small areas – what we now know as Gaza and the West Bank.
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel occupied Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. They also took control of the Golan Heights, an area belonging to Syria. This saw hundreds of thousands more Palestinians forced from their homes.
During his first presidency, Donald Trump recognised Israel’s control of the Golan Heights.
Different groups have fought for control of Gaza since then – including Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
There was hope for a two-state solution – one Israel and one Palestine – when their leaders signed the Oslo Accords committing to peace in the region within five years.
This never materialised, however, and Gaza has become increasingly cut off from outside resources.
The UN runs refugee camps for millions of displaced Palestinians – both inside Gaza and the West Bank – and in the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Before the 2023 war broke out between Israel and Hamas, tensions were high among Palestinian communities as Israel continued to expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Trump Gaza plan ‘absurd’ and US has ‘no authority’
Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, which as fellow Arab nations support the Palestinian cause, immediately rejected Mr Trump’s ideas.
They, along with Syria and Lebanon, are already struggling to support millions of displaced Palestinians.
Hamas described the proposals as “ridiculous and absurd” in a statement from one of its officials Sami Abu Zuhri.
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation reiterated its support for a two-state solution.
Sky News Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the plans have left politicians and diplomats across the region “speechless”.
“It’s entirely unrealistic for so many reasons,” he says.
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Palestinians react to Trump’s Gaza comments
Forcing Palestinians from Gaza would breach their right under international law to self-determination – and would constitute ethnic cleansing, he adds.
It would also, according to the chair of the UK’s Defence Select Committee, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, require “a minimum of 50,000” US troops in the region for several years.
This would prove a “massive logistical challenge”, as US military resources in other parts of the world have to be redirected there.
It is also out of step with Mr Trump’s previous indications he wants to scale back US involvement in the Middle East – and adopt a more protectionist foreign policy.
Many Gazans have endured horrendous living conditions in the hope Gaza will be rebuilt as part of an independent Palestinian state.
As such, most would not want to leave, Bunkall says, adding: “Ask any Gazan and they will tell you it is their home, however hellish.”
The international community has been involved in the rebuilding of war-torn countries throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In this sense, the US could be mandated as a “reconstruction power” in Gaza.
However, in cases such as post-Second World War Germany or Japan – allies handed back the territory after rebuilding – not resettled their residents elsewhere.
US
Trump threatens Iran would be ‘obliterated’ if it assassinates him – as he signs ‘tough’ directive against Tehran
Donald Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran – as he threatened Tehran it would be “obliterated” if it assassinates him.
The US president signed a memorandum on Tuesday in an effort to crack down on Iran’s nuclear programme and restrict oil exports – moments before he met Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Trump said he also signed the “tough” directive on Iran because Tehran was “too close” to having a nuclear weapon.
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How will Iran approach a Trump presidency?
He added he would hold talks with his counterpart in Tehran, but warned he has left “instructions” for his advisers that if Iran assassinated him, the US foe “would be obliterated”.
The US Justice Department announced in federal charges in November that an Iranian plot to kill Mr Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.
The department alleged Iranian officials had instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Mr Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran.
It comes as Mr Trump withdrew the US from the UN Human Rights Council in an executive order.
Pic: AP
The president has also stopped funding of the UN’s relief agency for Gaza.
The order means Mr Trump has reinstated policies that were in place during his first administration.
Joe Biden’s administration previously paused funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after reports its staff were involved in the 7 October attacks.
Mr Trump also claimed that Palestinians have “no alternative” but to leave Gaza, but that he doesn’t necessarily support Israelis settling in the enclave.
Trump maximises leverage over Iran by squeezing where it hurts most
Leverage is the most important thing in negotiations, Donald Trump said in his book The Art Of The Deal. “Don’t make deals without it.”
The US president has just maximised his leverage over Iran’s government, squeezing it where it hurts most.
Oil sales. The move will hurt Iran’s economy already in deep trouble and could lead to more social unrest.
But the impact does not stop there. The global price of oil has already jumped on the news.
The US president also repeated previous suggestions that he would like to see Jordan and Egypt take Palestinians from Gaza.
“The Gaza thing has never worked,” Trump told reporters.
“If we could find the right piece of land, pieces of land, and build them some really nice places…I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza.”
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Egypt and Jordan, as well other Arab nations, have flatly rejected calls by Trump to relocate the territory’s population during post-war rebuilding of the territory.
The UN estimates that 60% of structures in the enclave have been damaged or destroyed, with almost all of the 2.3 million people in Gaza having been forced to leave their homes during Israel’s 15-month war to take shelter elsewhere in the territory.
Meanwhile, the president said he thinks he will wind down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), in what would be a dramatic overhaul of how the world’s largest single donor allocates foreign assistance.
When a reporter said to Trump it sounded like he was going to “wind down” the agency, Trump chuckled and said “I think so.”
Chaos has consumed the agency, which distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian aid around the world, since Trump
ordered a freeze on most US foreign aid hours after taking office and tasked billionaire Elon Musk, who has falsely accused USAID of being a “criminal” organisation, with scaling down the agency.
Mr Trump also said he would like to close the US Department of Education with executive action.
The remains of all 67 victims of the Washington DC plane crash have been recovered, US authorities have said.
The collision involving an American Airlines flight and an army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport was the deadliest US aviation incident in almost 25 years.
Officials said all but one of the victims of the 29 January crash above the Potomac River have been positively identified.
It came as it was confirmed crews working in difficult conditions had recovered a number of large pieces of the jet from the river.
It is hoped work to recover the helicopter wreckage will start on Wednesday.
“Our hearts are with the victims’ families as they navigate this tragic loss,” officials said in a joint statement from the city and federal agencies involved in the search and recovery.
The chief medical examiner will be working to positively identify the final set of remains, officials said.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Updated data shows the Black Hawk helicopter was flying at 300ft on the air traffic control display at the time of the collision.
The data indicates the military helicopter was above 200ft, which officials said is the maximum permitted altitude for the route it was using.
Investigators earlier revealed the plane, which was about to land, was at 325ft, plus or minus 25ft, at the time of impact.
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Washington DC crash: What went wrong?
Sixty passengers and four crew were on the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas.
The Black Hawk, carrying three soldiers, was on a training mission.
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In the aftermath of the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration has imposed significant restrictions on helicopter flights around Reagan National Airport and two of its runways remain closed.
Full federal investigations normally take a year or more, but it is hoped a preliminary report into the crash will be completed within 30 days.
Leverage is the most important thing in negotiations, Donald Trump said in his book The Art Of The Deal. “Don’t make deals without it.”
The US president has just maximised his leverage over Iran’s government, squeezing it where it hurts most.
Oil sales. The move will hurt Iran’s economy, already in deep trouble, and could lead to more social unrest.
The edict Mr Trump signed on Tuesday marks a return to the maximum pressure policies of his first administration that were relaxed by his successors.
Pic: AP
Joe Biden allowed Iran to export more than $50bn of oil a year.
Trump is reversing that. He will target foreign ports and refineries, especially those in China that are currently handling Iranian oil.
Iran may find there is nowhere left for it to sell its oil.
Read more: Trump says Iran will be ‘obliterated’ if it assassinates him
That could be devastating for the ayatollahs and their government. Strapped by crippling sanctions, Iranians desperately need the hard currency receipts generated by oil sales.
But the impact does not stop there. The global price of oil has already jumped on the news.
This spells more trouble for the government in Tehran. Higher fuel prices add to the pain of Iran’s poor. That increases the chances of social unrest.
Protests led by Iranian women following the death of a Mahsa Amini more than two years ago were crushed with force but they weakened the government’s standing.
If the rural poor take to the streets, protesting against higher fuel and food prices on top of already crippling inflation, broader and more wide-ranging unrest could ensue.
This all puts Iran’s government in a bind.
President Trump says he wants a deal with Iran. Its people are amazing, he says, and the country has huge potential.
On one condition. It cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes but since Mr Trump reneged on the first Iranian nuclear deal it has been enriching uranium to levels that can have no civilian purpose.
Its government is facing a choice. Enter talks with the US from a position of weakness. Or change its nuclear doctrine and accelerate its pursuit of the bomb.
The latter path is fraught with danger. Israeli intelligence has infiltrated and penetrated Iran. It is likely to detect any clandestine dash to go the final mile and produce a nuclear weapon.
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Iran’s warning to Israel and US
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Israel is likely then to attack Iran and Mr Trump has said without a deal the US is likely to support it.
Iran has never been more exposed. Over the last year it has watched its network of allies and proxies done mortal damage by Israel.
In the latest round of fighting between the two countries, Israel is thought to have destroyed much of Iran’s air defences. But it has other means of self-defence.
Not least attacking neighbours across the gulf and their vulnerable energy infrastructure. That raises the spectre once more of an escalating war across the Middle East.
Iran’s diplomats are sounding defiant. Attacking its nuclear facilities would be “crazy“, its foreign minister Abbas Aragchi told Sky News last month. It would lead, he said, to a “very bad disaster” for the region.
Iran’s leaders are in a tight spot. Mr Trump seems determined to increase their pain. He hopes that could increase the chances of a deal on his terms.
Others fear it makes a devastating regional conflict more likely. The repercussions of a conflict across the Persian Gulf would be felt around the world.
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