- President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting a fictional “Trump Gaza” with belly-dancing Hamas fighters, a new skyline and golden Trump statues. This follows his earlier suggestion that the U.S. take over Gaza, relocate its residents and rebuild it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
- Regional nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have proposed their own plans for Gaza’s reconstruction, with Egypt’s plan gaining the most support so far.
- An upcoming Arab League summit in Cairo will focus on negotiating a rebuilding plan, with most nations aiming to prevent the vision of Gaza presented in Trump’s video.
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Late at night on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the president of the United States posted a video to his Truth Social account. The video was AI-generated and featured a wide range of striking visuals as barefoot Palestinian children emerged from tunnels to a very different-looking Gaza — “Trump Gaza,” as the video said.
A hummus-eating Elon Musk avatar is seen enjoying the atmosphere, while bikini-clad and belly-dancing bearded men wearing Hamas headbands dance on the beach.
There are also images of a new Gaza skyline, nightclubs and golden Trump statues and figurines, conceivably available for purchase in the new Trump Gaza.
Why did Trump post the video?
Trump posted the video after suggesting earlier in February that the United States would take over the Gaza Strip, temporarily relocating the 2 million or so Palestinians living there and rebuilding the region into what he called the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
It’s not entirely clear whether Trump actually wants to follow through on this plan, or if this is part of the commander-in-chief’s negotiating strategy.
How are countries in the region reacting?
Since proposing a U.S. takeover of Gaza, some nations in the region have offered their own ideas for rebuilding the area.
Egypt’s plan seems to have the most support so far, but it’s far from a done deal. It calls for the establishment of a governing committee in Gaza to oversee the rebuilding process, which has a budget between $20 and $30 billion.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all agree that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority should not be part of the new governing committee. However, Egypt and Qatar think Hamas fighters should still be allowed to serve in the new Gaza’s security forces.
That’s a hard “no” for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though. Both of those countries said they will not back, financially or otherwise, any deal that does not ensure the complete disarmament of Hamas.
Upcoming Arab League summit
The Middle Eastern nations will continue to try to iron out a deal at an upcoming Arab League summit in Cairo, where most nations will likely be motivated to avoid the type of Gaza imagined in the president’s video.
Reuters contributed to this report.
