While facing 'hell', Gaza's Palestinians rejects Trump's 'racist' remarks to leave

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements suggesting the possibility of "Gaza residents leaving for other countries" have once again sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians, particularly in the devastated coastal enclave.

On Monday, Trump reiterated a controversial idea he had previously suggested in the early days of his administration that it would be beneficial for the United States to "take control and own the Gaza Strip." 

His new statements occurred after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House. 

"Having a force like the United States there, taking control and owning the Gaza Strip, would be a good thing," Trump declared. 

He further suggested that the relocation of Palestinians to other countries—many of which, according to him, are willing to accept them—could lead to the creation of a "freedom zone" where daily violence would no longer be a reality.

The US President also expressed bewilderment over Israel's decision to abandon Gaza, calling it a "great strategic location," but noting that it has become "uninhabitable."

Speaking to The New Arab, Palestinians in Gaza said that such comments are part of a long-standing plan dating back to the 1948 Nakba to uproot them from their land. 

'We won't leave'

In the overcrowded Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Salim Abu Shawish, 45, refuses to discuss the idea of leaving. A salesman whose carpentry shop was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, he struggles daily to support his seven-member family.

"Trump doesn't know Gaza," he remarked to TNA. "He hasn't walked its alleys, heard the call to prayer over the rubble of mosques, or seen children playing amidst missile craters. We are here to stay forever and will never leave it."

He blamed both Israel and various armed Palestinian factions for the current catastrophic situation, particularly over the stalled reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah.

"Israel is responsible for the siege and destruction, but the divided Palestinian factions have also destroyed us. Neither Hamas nor Fatah live like us. They sing their tunes while we pay the price," he said. 

Amidst growing calls to reject displacement, the Palestinian factions are issuing conflicting statements. While Fatah stresses the need for it to regain control of Gaza and building it back up, Hamas accuses it of hegemony and exclusion.

"The failure of reconciliation talks over the years has compounded the plight of the Palestinian people," Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gaza-based Palestinian political writer, told TNA. 

"The division has become a weapon against the Palestinian people. Whenever reconciliation efforts fail, international pressure increases, and the likelihood of displacement projects grows," he said. 

Ibrahim, moreover, reasserts that Trump and Netanyahu's recent statements reflect a broader plan to empty Gaza of its residents. "This isn't just about direct, forced displacement. It's about systematically forcing Palestinians to leave voluntarily under the weight of hunger and despair. It’s not a humanitarian proposal, but a dangerous tactic to strangle Gaza until its people have no choice but to emigrate," he argued. 

"When Trump calls Gaza a 'death trap,' he is trying to justify mass ethnic cleansing. The so-called 'freedom zone' is simply a euphemism for land that could be turned into settlements or a security zone for Israel," he added. 

For his part, Ismat Mansour, a Ramallah-based political analyst, said that although Trump's rhetoric may have "softened", his position on Gaza remains "racist". 

"Trump sees Gaza as a contractor would—he doesn't view its people as having a right to life. These remarks reflect a condescending, racist outlook, shaped by Israeli projects that deny Palestinian rights," he said to TNA. 

"Arab positions reject this plan and offer alternatives, but there must be clarity in this stance. Stability can only come through respecting Palestinian rights. A cessation of war must be the foundation for rebuilding Gaza and providing prospects for its people," Mansour added.  "The war was meant to symbolise genocide and displacement. But neither Hamas nor Fatah should have political interests at this moment. These political divisions are escalating, and no effort is being made to end them."

Heartbreaking choices

In Beit Hanoun, a town largely reduced to rubble, Omar al-Kafarna, a 38-year-old Palestinian man, faces a heartbreaking choice between staying in his homeland or seeking a safer life for his children. 

His home has been destroyed by Israeli forces at least three times since 2008. Omar currently lives in a makeshift tent on the outskirts of Jabalia in northern Gaza. 

"Before the war, we lived a simple life," Omar told TNA. "My wife worked as a lawyer, and my children lived normal lives. Now, we don't even have hope."

Born in Libya to an expatriate father, Omar returned to Gaza during the 1990s, inspired by the hope of the Palestinian Authority's return. However, those hopes were quickly dashed because of the repeated Israeli wars.

"We thought we'd rebuild together, but after a few years, everything collapsed with no electricity, no safety, no hope," he remarked. 

Despite rejection of forced displacement, Omar is open about emigrating from Gaza to survive. "We want dignity, not to die silently under rubble," he remarked, describing life as a "daily hell" with no political or economic horizon.

"Unfortunately, Gaza is no longer fit for living. Young people die because they can't find medicine. Children are stunted from malnutrition. Elderly people die in tents from the heat or cold," he said. 

However, he stressed that his desire is not to simply leave, but rather, to live. "Leaving is painful, but seeking a dignified life for my children, anywhere that respects humanity, is not shameful," he said.