The history of Gaza amid Trump's plan to rebuild enclave

In an audacious determination that stunned the world, President Donald Trump unveiled a connection to relocate 1.8 cardinal Palestinians from Gaza, seeking to rebuild their lives successful caller places. Addressing the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu astatine the White House, Trump outlined his ambitious imaginativeness for the Gaza Strip.

"I powerfully judge that the Gaza Strip, which has been a awesome of death and destruction  … for truthful galore decades—devastating for the radical surviving determination and for those anyplace adjacent it—should not spell done different rhythm of rebuilding and concern by the aforesaid radical who person fought, lived, died, and suffered successful that place."

The president emphasized the value of learning from history. "History, you know, conscionable can’t support repeating itself," Trump remarked, urging a departure from the failed approaches of the past.

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President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reply questions during a associated property league successful the East Room astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., connected Feb. 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

"Dating backmost astir 4,000 years, since the clip of the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac, to the clip of the mighty Biblical Judge Samson and the Philistines; from the regularisation of Solomon and the kings of the Davidic Dynasty, and for millenia onward; the territory of modern-day Gaza has been a spot of some struggle and hope, trading hands from 1 ruler to another, with the imaginable for prosperity conscionable implicit the horizon, but speech from little periods, bid for her inhabitants and neighbors remained elusive," Ze'ev Orenstein, the manager of planetary affairs for the City of David Foundation successful Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital

The past of Gaza that Trump was referring to is some a agelong and tumultuous one. 

Biblical Roots: A Battleground for Civilizations

Gaza’s past dates backmost astir 4,000 years, often appearing successful biblical narratives. It was 1 of the 5 cardinal cities of the Philistines, who arrived from the Aegean, known for their clashes with the Israelites. The communicative of Samson, who tore down a Philistine temple, is 1 of the earliest recorded tales of demolition and rebuilding successful Gaza. Over centuries, it was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians, each bringing caller rulers and forcing colonisation shifts. Even then, Gaza was a onshore wherever radical came and went, often not by choice.

Ottoman Rule: A Strategic Military Outpost

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), Gaza was a subject stronghold. The Ottomans utilized it arsenic a buffer zone, and portion immoderate periods saw growth, it was often abandoned during wars. In 1799, Napoleon’s forces concisely occupied it earlier retreating. Once again, Gaza was near successful ruins, and its colonisation had to commencement over.

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A presumption of destroyed buildings caused by Israeli attacks comes to aboveground pursuing the withdrawal of the Israeli service successful Khan Yunis, Gaza, connected Sept. 29, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The British Mandate and the First Exodus

When the British took power successful 1917, Gaza became portion of the British Mandate for Palestine. Tensions betwixt Jews and Arabs escalated, starring to convulsive clashes. By 1948, erstwhile Israel declared independence, thousands of Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, turning it into an overcrowded enclave nether Egyptian rule.

Egyptian Rule: No Citizenship, No Stability

From 1949 to 1967, Egypt controlled Gaza but ne'er integrated it. Palestinians surviving determination were not granted Egyptian citizenship, and Gaza remained impoverished and politically unstable. When Israel captured it successful the Six-Day War, the rhythm of displacement and demolition resumed.

People inspect the debris and rubble astatine the tract of Israeli bombardment connected a residential artifact successful Jalaa Street successful Gaza City connected Jan. 14, 2025 amid the ongoing warfare successful the Palestinian territory betwixt Israel and Hamas. (OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Rule: Settlements and Economic Integration

After Israel took implicit Gaza successful the Six-Day War successful 1967, Jewish settlements were built wrong the coastal enclave, creating economical interactions betwixt the 2 peoples - but besides expanding the level of tension. 

Amir Tibon, himself a subsister of the October 7 attack, describes successful his publication "The Gates of Gaza," Palestinians recovered retired what beingness looked similar for their Israeli neighbors, who enjoyed a importantly higher modular of living. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Gazans would participate Israel regular for work, and Gaza's system became tied to Israel's, but hostility persisted. In the 1980s, the Islamist enactment Hamas became a rising unit among Palestinians successful Gaza, yet succeeding successful taking implicit the enclave and turning it into a fortress of terror.

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The Palestinian Authority’s Short-Lived Rule

After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) took administrative power of Gaza successful the 1990s. For the archetypal time, determination was anticipation for Palestinian self-rule, but corruption and interior strife plagued the PA’s governance. During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), violent attacks from Gaza escalated, starring to Israeli subject operations that devastated the portion erstwhile again.

Members of the Hamas panic radical stitchery successful Gaza successful mentation for the merchandise of 4 pistillate hostages arsenic portion of the ceasefire woody with Israel. (TPS-IL)

Hamas: Ruling by Force, Trapping Its People

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, removing each settlements. In 2007, elections were held, and Hamas took control, ousting the PA. Since then, Hamas has engaged successful repeated attacks connected Israel, starring to demolition and humanitarian crises. With Hamas prioritizing coercion implicit governance, Gaza has remained successful a authorities of warfare and siege. Today, it is 1 of the astir densely populated places successful the world, with 2 cardinal residents.

Richard Goldberg, a elder advisor astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, "Israel withdrew unilaterally 20 years ago. Egypt wants thing to bash with Gaza. Hamas is simply a violent group, not a government. Gaza is nary man’s land, with 2 cardinal radical utilized arsenic governmental pawns alternatively of quality beings."

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A Land That Has Always Been Rebuilt

Trump’s thought of relocating Gaza’s colonisation and rebuilding caller communities echoes patterns from the past. Whether it was the Philistines, Ottomans, the British, oregon Egyptians, Gaza has often seen its colonisation displaced, lone to instrumentality oregon beryllium reshaped nether caller rulers. While today’s governmental realities marque wide relocation unlikely, past shows that extremist shifts successful Gaza’s demography are not unprecedented.