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Gone quiet · last update Sep 18, 2025 / Gaza Strip

The Israel-Hamas war: Trump's plan to take over Gaza and move Palestinians out

Overview · reviewed October 17, 2026

President Donald Trump proposed in early 2025 that the United States take over Gaza and that Palestinians living there move elsewhere. Arab governments rejected the relocation proposal and endorsed an Egyptian reconstruction plan that would let Palestinians remain. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed Trump's proposal, and reports of possible resettlement arrangements continued later that year.[1][3][5][7][14]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-01-20 (UTC): 17%, 38 of 226 tracked outlets (11 left, 20 center, 7 right)Week of 2025-01-27 (UTC): 15%, 33 of 223 tracked outlets (8 left, 15 center, 10 right)Week of 2025-02-03 (UTC): 56%, 106 of 190 tracked outlets (32 left, 39 center, 35 right)Week of 2025-02-10 (UTC): 22%, 47 of 214 tracked outlets (14 left, 23 center, 10 right)Week of 2025-02-17 (UTC): 8%, 15 of 194 tracked outlets (6 left, 9 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-02-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-03 (UTC): 16%, 33 of 202 tracked outlets (8 left, 18 center, 7 right)Week of 2025-03-10 (UTC): 6%, 12 of 198 tracked outlets (2 left, 7 center, 3 right)Week of 2025-03-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-12 (UTC): 4%, 9 of 202 tracked outlets (3 left, 3 center, 3 right)Week of 2025-05-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): 8%, 14 of 181 tracked outlets (5 left, 9 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): 6%, 11 of 191 tracked outlets (1 left, 9 center, 1 right)Week of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 7 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (10 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Sep 15, 202519111 of 1916%
Aug 11, 202559014 of 1818%
May 12, 20253339 of 2024%
Mar 10, 202527312 of 1986%
Mar 3, 2025818733 of 20216%
Feb 17, 202569015 of 1948%
Feb 10, 202514231047 of 21422%
Feb 3, 2025323935106 of 19056%
Jan 27, 20258151033 of 22315%
Jan 20, 20251120738 of 22617%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 17, 2025 · first reported · Headline from KEYT Santa Barbara

    Israel’s far-right finance minister suggests a real estate ‘bonanza’ in Gaza will follow the war | News Channel 3-12

Background

In January 2025, President Donald Trump urged Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, saying he wanted to "clean out" the territory. Arab governments opposed the proposal.[4][5] In February, he said the United States would take over Gaza and its Palestinian residents should leave.[1] Netanyahu subsequently said he was committed to the proposal.[7] Jordan's King Abdullah II reiterated his opposition to moving Palestinians out of Gaza after meeting Trump.[8]

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

Arab leaders endorsed Egypt's reconstruction plan in March. It would rebuild Gaza without displacing its Palestinian residents.[3] France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom backed the plan, while the United States and Israel rejected it.[9][10]

Trump later said that nobody was expelling Palestinians from Gaza, an apparent retreat from his earlier remarks.[11] But Associated Press reporting described US and Israeli contacts about possible resettlement in Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland.[12] In May, Trump again suggested US control of Gaza, calling for a "freedom zone."[13]

Later proposals also concerned moving residents and developing the territory. In August, reports described Israeli discussions with South Sudan about resettling Palestinians there; how far those talks had advanced was unclear.[14] In September, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described Gaza as a potential real estate "bonanza" and claimed he was discussing its division with the United States.[15]

Supporting stories (15)
  1. Trump’s suggestion the US ‘take over’ Gaza is rejected by allies and adversaries alike - Boston News, Weather, Sports
  2. Israel backs Trump plan and orders military to prepare for Palestinians to leave Gaza
  3. Arab leaders endorse Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza as an alternative to Trump's proposal
  4. Trump pushes Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians to ‘clean out’ Gaza
  5. Arab nations reject Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from Gaza
  6. Trump: Palestinians have no right of return under Gaza plan
  7. Netanyahu: Trump’s Gaza proposal ‘only viable plan’
  8. Trump stands by his Gaza plan in meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah
  9. Major European nations back Arab plan for Gaza rebuild
  10. US rejects alternative Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Arab leaders
  11. Trump appears to walk back Gaza expulsion plan
  12. US and Israel Look to Africa for Resettling Palestinians Uprooted from Gaza
  13. Trump suggests US ‘take’ Gaza, make it ‘freedom zone’
  14. Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
  15. Israel’s far-right finance minister suggests a real estate ‘bonanza’ in Gaza will follow the war

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 19 recorded updates

September 2025

  1. Israel’s far-right finance minister suggests a real estate ‘bonanza’ in Gaza will follow the warHeadline from Local News 8 · 11 outlets

August 2025

  1. Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South SudanHeadline from The Columbian · 15 outlets

May 2025

  1. Trump suggests US ‘take’ Gaza, make it ‘freedom zone’Headline from The Hill · 9 outlets

March 2025

  1. US and Israel Look to Africa for Resettling Palestinians Uprooted from GazaHeadline from Military.com · 9 outlets
  2. Trump appears to walk back Gaza expulsion planHeadline from Al Jazeera · 7 outlets
  3. US rejects alternative Gaza reconstruction plan proposed by Arab leadersHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 12 outlets
  4. Arab leaders endorse Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza as an alternative to Trump's proposalHeadline from NBC10 Philadelphia · 25 outlets
  5. Egypt’s Gaza plan excludes Hamas from future governanceHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 6 outlets
  6. Major European nations back Arab plan for Gaza rebuildHeadline from Newsweek · 10 outlets

February 2025

  1. Israel's Netanyahu signals he's moving ahead with Trump's idea to transfer Palestinians from GazaHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 9 outlets
  2. Egypt Is Developing Plan to Rebuild Gaza, Countering Trump’s PlanHeadline from Time · 15 outlets
  3. Trump stands by his Gaza plan in meeting with Jordan’s King AbdullahHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 32 outlets
  4. Netanyahu: Trump’s Gaza proposal ‘only viable plan’Headline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · 22 outlets
  5. Israel Begins Preparations for Gaza Exodus as Egypt Lobbies Against Trump PlanHeadline from Military.com · 22 outlets
  6. Trump: Palestinians have no right of return under Gaza planHeadline from Digital Journal · 49 outlets
  7. Trump’s suggestion the US ‘take over’ Gaza is rejected by allies and adversaries alike - Boston News, Weather, SportsHeadline from WHDH Boston · 12 outlets
  8. Israel backs Trump plan and orders military to prepare for Palestinians to leave GazaHeadline from KVIA El Paso · 97 outlets

January 2025

  1. Trump pushes Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians to ‘clean out’ GazaHeadline from West Hawaii Today · 55 outlets
  2. Arab nations reject Trump’s suggestion to relocate Palestinians from GazaHeadline from Las Vegas Review-Journal · 26 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →