Washington Considers a Ten-Year Trusteeship Over Gaza
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is studying a controversial plan that would place the Gaza Strip under American trusteeship for a period of at least ten years, according to a report published Sunday by The Washington Post.
The plan, outlined in a 38-page document, envisions the temporary relocation of Gaza’s entire population — more than two million people — either through “voluntary” departure to a third country or through confinement in restricted and secured areas within Gaza during the reconstruction phase.
According to the report, the stated goal, aligned with Trump’s vision of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” is to transform the territory into a tourist destination and a hub for advanced technology. This stands in sharp contrast with the Palestinian aspiration of integrating Gaza into a future independent state.
The plan also includes the creation of a fund to oversee its implementation. This fund would provide Gaza’s landowners with digital vouchers representing their development rights. Beneficiaries could use these vouchers either to start a new life abroad or eventually to secure housing in one of six to eight planned “smart cities” powered by artificial intelligence to be built in Gaza.
The Washington Post adds that the proposal was originally drafted by Israeli officials, who also founded the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.” Supported by the United States and Israel, the foundation currently distributes food aid inside Gaza but has faced heavy criticism from humanitarian organizations and the United Nations, which refuse to cooperate with it.
On July 22, the UN Human Rights Office reported that more than one thousand Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces while attempting to access food aid distributed by the foundation, with nearly three-quarters of the victims dying near its distribution centers.
The proposal has been praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but strongly condemned by several European and Arab states. The White House, which held a meeting on Gaza’s future last week, has not yet released any official statement.
