The historical past of Gaza amid Trump’s plan to rebuild enclave


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In an audacious transfer that surprised the world, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza, searching for to rebuild their lives in new locations. Addressing the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the White House, Trump outlined his formidable imaginative and prescient for the Gaza Strip.

“I strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction  … for so many decades—devastating for the people living there and for those anywhere near it—should not go through another cycle of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have fought, lived, died, and suffered in that place.”

The president emphasised the significance of studying from historical past. “History, you know, just can’t keep repeating itself,” Trump remarked, urging a departure from the failed approaches of the previous.

LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Netanyahu Trump press conference

President Donald Trump, proper, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reply questions throughout a joint press convention within the East Room on the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

“Dating back nearly 4,000 years, since the time of the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac, to the time of the mighty Biblical Judge Samson and the Philistines; from the rule of Solomon and the kings of the Davidic Dynasty, and for millenia onward; the territory of modern-day Gaza has been a place of both conflict and hope, trading hands from one ruler to another, with the potential for prosperity just over the horizon, but aside from brief periods, peace for her inhabitants and neighbors remained elusive,” Ze’ev Orenstein, the director of worldwide affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem, informed Fox News Digital

The historical past of Gaza that Trump was referring to is each an extended and tumultuous one. 

Biblical Roots: A Battleground for Civilizations

Gaza’s historical past dates again practically 4,000 years, often showing in biblical narratives. It was one of many 5 key cities of the Philistines, who arrived from the Aegean, recognized for his or her clashes with the Israelites. The story of Samson, who tore down a Philistine temple, is likely one of the earliest recorded tales of destruction and rebuilding in Gaza. Over centuries, it was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians, every bringing new rulers and forcing inhabitants shifts. Even then, Gaza was a land the place individuals got here and went, usually not by selection.

Ottoman Rule: A Strategic Military Outpost

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), Gaza was a navy stronghold. The Ottomans used it as a buffer zone, and whereas some durations noticed development, it was often deserted throughout wars. In 1799, Napoleon’s forces briefly occupied it earlier than retreating. Once once more, Gaza was left in ruins, and its inhabitants needed to begin over.

TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK

gaza home

A view of destroyed buildings attributable to Israeli assaults involves floor following the withdrawal of the Israeli military in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Sept. 29, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu through Getty Images)

The British Mandate and the First Exodus

When the British took management in 1917, Gaza grew to become a part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Tensions between Jews and Arabs escalated, resulting in violent clashes. By 1948, when Israel declared independence, hundreds of Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, turning it into an overcrowded enclave underneath Egyptian rule.

Egyptian Rule: No Citizenship, No Stability

From 1949 to 1967, Egypt managed Gaza however by no means built-in it. Palestinians residing there weren’t granted Egyptian citizenship, and Gaza remained impoverished and politically unstable. When Israel captured it within the Six-Day War, the cycle of displacement and destruction resumed.

rubble in gaza

People examine the particles and rubble on the web site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on Jan. 14, 2025 amid the continuing battle within the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP through Getty Images)

Israeli Rule: Settlements and Economic Integration

After Israel took over Gaza within the Six-Day War in 1967, Jewish settlements had been constructed throughout the coastal enclave, creating financial interactions between the 2 peoples – but additionally growing the extent of rigidity. 

Amir Tibon, himself a survivor of the October 7 assault, describes in his ebook “The Gates of Gaza,” Palestinians discovered what life appeared like for his or her Israeli neighbors, who loved a considerably increased way of life. Soon, a whole bunch of hundreds of Gazans would enter Israel each day for work, and Gaza’s economic system grew to become tied to Israel’s, however hostility continued. In the Eighties, the Islamist group Hamas grew to become a rising drive amongst Palestinians in Gaza, ultimately succeeding in taking up the enclave and turning it right into a fortress of terror.

‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

The Palestinian Authority’s Short-Lived Rule

After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) took administrative management of Gaza within the Nineteen Nineties. For the primary time, there was hope for Palestinian self-rule, however corruption and inside strife plagued the PA’s governance. During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), terrorist assaults from Gaza escalated, resulting in Israeli navy operations that devastated the area as soon as once more.

Members of the Hamas terror group gather in Gaza in preparation for the release of four female hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.

Members of the Hamas terror group collect in Gaza in preparation for the discharge of 4 feminine hostages as a part of the ceasefire cope with Israel. (TPS-IL)

Hamas: Ruling by Force, Trapping Its People

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, eradicating all settlements. In 2007, elections had been held, and Hamas took control, ousting the PA. Since then, Hamas has engaged in repeated assaults on Israel, resulting in destruction and humanitarian crises. With Hamas prioritizing terrorism over governance, Gaza has remained in a state of battle and siege. Today, it is likely one of the most densely populated locations on this planet, with 2 million residents.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, informed Fox News Digital, “Israel withdrew unilaterally 20 years ago. Egypt wants nothing to do with Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist group, not a government. Gaza is no man’s land, with 2 million people used as political pawns instead of human beings.”

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A Land That Has Always Been Rebuilt

Trump’s thought of relocating Gaza’s inhabitants and rebuilding new communities echoes patterns from the previous. Whether it was the Philistines, Ottomans, the British, or Egyptians, Gaza has often seen its inhabitants displaced, solely to return or be reshaped underneath new rulers. While in the present day’s political realities make mass relocation unlikely, historical past exhibits that radical shifts in Gaza’s demography aren’t unprecedented.



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