A senior Hamas official on Monday issued a fiery rejection of a reported US proposal that seeks to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza, while transforming the besieged enclave into a luxury resort and industrial hub. The alleged plan has drawn regional condemnation and reignited fears of further mass displacement.
As revealed in a report by The Washington Post, the Trump administration has drafted a 38-page blueprint for Gaza's post-war future, which would place the territory under US administration for a minimum of 10 years.
During that time, Gaza’s remaining population would be “temporarily relocated,” either abroad or into designated “safe zones” inside the strip, while the area is rebuilt into what former US President Donald Trump has described as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The draft proposes offering each Palestinian who agrees to leave Gaza $5,000 in cash, a year’s worth of food assistance, and housing subsidies for four years.
“They can keep their plan—it will never take root in Palestine,” said Dr. Bassem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, when asked to comment on the proposal. “Gaza is not for sale,” he added.
Naim emphasized that Gaza is not merely a city on a map or an isolated territory: “It is an integral part of the greater Palestinian homeland,” he said. He reiterated both Hamas’ and the Palestinian people’s categorical rejection of the US plan.
The Washington Post report noted that the relocation would be framed as “voluntary departure,” though critics have warned this language echoes historical patterns of forced displacement.
In February, Trump stated publicly that the US intended to “take control of Gaza” and rebuild it as a resort destination—remarks that provoked outrage among Palestinians and Arab organizations alike, who saw them as thinly veiled threats of ethnic cleansing.
Last week, Trump reportedly chaired a high-level meeting to finalize post-war planning for Gaza. The White House has yet to issue a statement.
Egypt: No to forced displacement
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty sharply criticized the alleged US plan during a meeting on Sunday with US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley. He warned of the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza, now facing famine conditions, and condemned the escalation of Israeli military operations.
Abdelatty also reiterated Egypt’s unequivocal rejection of any attempt to expel Palestinians from their land, underscoring the severe humanitarian implications and the broader political consequences such displacement would provoke.
In January, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi rejected a similar US proposal to have Egypt host displaced Palestinians from Gaza, calling it “an injustice we will not be part of.” Jordan also refused, with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi declaring “Jordan is for Jordanians. Palestine is for Palestinians.”
During the ongoing war on Gaza, Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have ramped up their promotion of a “Greater Israel”. This plan, if implemented, would be slated to extend into parts of Egypt and Jordan.
In response to expulsion scenarios, Egypt had developed a $53 billion reconstruction plan, approved during an extraordinary Arab Summit convened in Cairo.
The five-year plan includes debris removal, temporary shelter installations at seven sites capable of housing 1.5 million people, and the formation of a transitional committee to govern Gaza for six months.
