Hamas on Monday denounced a reported plan under consideration by former US President Donald Trump for the United States to assume control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and relocate its population.

According to The Washington Post, the White House is reviewing a proposal that would see Gaza placed under a US trusteeship for at least a decade. The reported initiative envisions transforming the territory home to about two million people into a tourism destination and high-tech hub.

The 38-page prospectus, cited by the newspaper, also outlines a temporary relocation of Gaza’s entire population, either through “voluntary” departures abroad or into secured, restricted zones within the enclave.

Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim swiftly rejected the idea, declaring: “Gaza is not for sale. Gaza is… part of the greater Palestinian homeland.”

Another Hamas official, speaking anonymously to AFP, dismissed the reported plan as “worthless and unjust,” adding that the group had not been formally contacted about the proposal.

Trump first floated the idea in February, describing a vision of Gaza as “the Riviera of the Middle East” once Palestinians were moved out and the area placed under US control. The suggestion drew immediate condemnation across the Arab world and among Palestinians, who said such forced relocation would recall the Nakba the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.

The Washington Post report also mentioned the creation of the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust (GREAT Trust). Under this mechanism, displaced residents would receive digital tokens in exchange for development rights to their land. These tokens could be redeemed for apartments in proposed “AI-powered smart cities” inside Gaza or used to resettle elsewhere.

Palestinian residents voiced mixed reactions to the reported plan.

• Qasem Habib, 37, living in a tent in Gaza City, dismissed it as “nonsense,” urging instead for international pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.
• Wael Azzam, 60, in Khan Yunis, said, “We were born and raised here… even without knowing it, it is a failed plan.”
• However, Ahmed Al-Akkawi, 30, said he would support the initiative if it ended the conflict: “The plan is excellent if the war stops and we are transferred to European countries to live a normal life, and if guarantees are made to rebuild Gaza.”

Nearly two years into Israel’s offensive, launched after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, much of Gaza lies in ruins, with most of its population displaced multiple times.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on the reported initiative.