Trump's proposal to take over Gaza outrageous, say Palestinians and advocates in Toronto

Family members with loved ones in Gaza and activists say they are outraged that Donald Trump has suggested that Palestinians should be relocated while the U.S. takes over and redevelops the territory.

Bashar Alshawwa, a Toronto resident whose wife and four children are in the West Bank, said the U.S. president's plan to take over Gaza threatens Palestinians. Alshawwa came to Toronto six months ago. He says his family lost 130 loved ones in the Gaza war in approximately the last 16 months. 

Alshawwa, a water diplomacy specialist at the advocacy group Swim Drink Fish, said he had hoped the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would bring justice to Palestinians.

"It's shocking. It's really shocking. It's alarming," Alshawwa told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Wednesday.

"Instead of justice, Mr. Trump is now announcing a plan of displacement, ethnic cleansing of my people, and what's not just a tragedy, it's an ongoing crime against humanity."

On Tuesday, Trump announced that he wanted the U.S. take "ownership" of Gaza after the war and turn it into a "riviera of the Middle East." Trump made the suggestion during a news conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump said. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs."

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed Trump's remarks, saying the president only sought to move the roughly 1.8 million Gazans temporarily to allow for reconstruction.

Gaza 'not a business project' for the U.S.

Alshawwa, however, said the remarks instill fear and trigger painful memories for Palestinians of displacement and forced migration. He said Gaza has deep emotional and historical significance to Palestinians, even though whole areas have been levelled.

Gaza is not a "business project" for the U.S., he added.

In a separate interview with CBC Toronto, Alshawwa said Palestinians would welcome any initiative to help them rebuild their country. But Trump is suggesting something that is against international law and that is unacceptable, he said. 

"It's a new colonial settlement project by the United States," Alshawwa said.

"As a father of four kids still back home in Palestine, I don't want my kids to suffer from this endless, insane and unjust conflict," he added.

Plan spoken about as 'some kind of real estate deal'

Yara Shoufani, an organizer with the Toronto chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement, a group that works to keep youth engaged in fighting for freedom and liberation for Palestinian people, said the comments are appalling. She said the idea of people leaving Gaza is not an option.

"He's outlining a plan for the ethnic cleansing of the entire population of Gaza. He's talking about the forcible removal of two million people out of their homes and speaking about it essentially like it's some kind of real estate deal," Shoufani said. 

Michael Bueckert, interim president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, based in Montreal, said the comments represent an "existential threat" to Palestinians in Gaza and an expression of "genocidal intent."

"Unfortunately, I'm worried that the Canadian government is going to be kind of cautious about approaching Trump. But we have to be clear: Israeli and U.S. officials are openly plotting genocide and ethnic cleansing — not using euphemisms — but in very clear terms. We need to take this seriously.

More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the nearly 16-month war, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Due to the chaos of war, verifying the exact number of casualties has been challenging and subject to scrutiny. The Palestinian Civil Defence has said it is searching for roughly 10,000 bodies believed to be remaining under the rubble.

The coastal enclave has been largely demolished by Israel's military following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. That assault killed 1,200 people with around 250 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel has rejected accusations of genocide by saying it abides by international law and has a right to defend itself after the Hamas attack.

Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defence minister, have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.