Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take “ownership” over Gaza and displace Palestinians added to uncertainty over the fate of the enclave and its residents.

Gaza has long been a powder keg, and it exploded after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and began killing and abducting people, sparking a crushing Israeli military operation there that's only recently reached an uneasy ceasefire.

Aftershocks reverberated Wednesday from President Trump’s declaration the previous day that the United States should take “long-term ownership” of Gaza and that the Palestinians who live there

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Mr. Trump said. He added that the United States would dispose of unexploded munitions and rebuild Gaza, which he described as a “demolition site.”

President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to "take over" Gaza, permanently displacing Palestinians who live there and creating the "Riviera of the Middle East," has upset Arab nations and Western allies and would overturn decades of American policy in the region.