On Tuesday, shortly before midnight, a disturbing AI-generated video began circulating on social media, offering a glimpse into Donald Trump’s vision for Gaza. The video, featuring a futuristic depiction of Gaza as a luxurious “Riviera of the Middle East,” showcases a boulevard lined with palm trees, dominated by an enormous gold statue of the former president.
Notably absent from this curated landscape are Palestinians. The video’s creators included a yassified Elon Musk enjoying hummus alongside Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lounging by a pool. The aesthetic fusion of Miami-style architecture with elements reminiscent of Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad serves to distract from the underlying message of a video that is being used to sell war crimes.
Trump’s vision, as expressed in the video, seems to involve the potential displacement of roughly two million people in favor of asserting ownership of the enclave. The video’s depiction of “Trump Gaza,” complete with a chintzy hotel and a repetitive chant of “Trump Gaza is finally here!,” has been widely criticized.
Gazans, many of whom are descendants of refugees displaced from what is now Israel, have consistently voiced their opposition to being forced from their lands. Their preference is to be allowed to return to their homes—a right that Trump’s plan seeks to deny. This plan, as it stands, would necessitate actions that many view as reminiscent of some of the darkest periods in modern history.
The proposal comes in the wake of a conflict in which Israel, aided by American weaponry, has devastated much of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 62,000 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children.
Despite the fantastical nature of the video, reports indicate that Trump’s associates are taking the plan seriously. According to The Wall Street Journal, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, are in discussions with real estate executives to devise a strategy for rebuilding the enclave. The pair are reportedly considering a White House summit, which, as the Journal reports, “would include a public display, potentially with large cranes and other showy pieces of equipment.”
This planning follows Trump’s earlier statement during the campaign that Gaza could be “better than Monaco” due to its prime location and high-quality resources. Despite the ambitious nature of the plan, Trump’s vision of an ethnically cleansed Gaza under American control remains largely hypothetical.
More concerning is the signal this sends to Netanyahu and his hard-right allies. Figures like Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has advocated for the resettlement of Gaza, may perceive this as an indication that the United States will not intervene, even if they take further steps to seize more land from Palestinians.
