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.

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 should be moved.

Gaza has long been a powder keg. It exploded after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and began killing and abducting people, sparking a crushing Israeli military operation that’s only recently stopped under a fragile ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed there. "The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.

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.

Trump, in an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes resettling millions of Palestinians to neighboring countries.