How Would an American Takeover in Gaza Impact the Region?

Map of the Gaza Strip

Over the past two days, the situation in Gaza and the Middle East has changed drastically. On Tuesday, February 4th, 2025, American President Donald Trump revealed in a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that America plans to assume control over the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas conflict. This piece of news caught many off guard as it was completely unexpected. President Trump has stated that the goal of assuming control of Gaza would be to “rebuild” the territory and that he sees potential long-term ownership over the Gaza Strip. Whitehouse press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both have spoken on the idea that Palestinians living in Gaza would have to relocate during the rebuilding process. This article investigates the potential effects an American takeover in Gaza would have. 

President Trump makes quite the ambitious claim that no American troops would be needed in Gaza to achieve his goals. According to CIA.gov, 2.2 million people (about the population of New Mexico) live in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip has a population density about the size of London. So far, Palestinians have shown no interest in relocating out of Gaza and have expressed a strongly negative view of the proposed U.S. intervention. Without the assistance of the Israeli military, there is no probable way to relocate 2.2 million people out of a piece of land (which they have no desire of leaving) without the use of military force. If President Trump were to fully commit to his plan of rebuilding the Gaza Strip and either permanent or temporary relocation of the Palestinian population, the United States armed forces would certainly become involved.  

The Gaza Strip and the Palestinian population are currently incredibly vulnerable to human rights violations. At the moment of this article's creation, there is no current suiter to accept the relocation of Palestinian people. Egypt and Jordan have both expressed no desire to take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees. Planning to relocate 2.2 million people with no known destination is a recipe for a human rights disaster. If there is no well-thought-out and well-executed plan for the Palestinian population in the case of their being removed from the Gaza Strip, expect a rapid increase of instability in nearby states. Taking in large numbers of people with minimal time for preparation will generate problems for many states.  

The United States must tread carefully when operating in Gaza to avoid a potential Iraq-like disaster. With the combination of the dense population and their desire to remain put in Gaza, President Trump must navigate this situation to prevent human rights violations of the Palestinian people and drawn out American military involvement in Gaza.