As Egypt reportedly rejects President Donald Trump’s resettlement proposal, citing the need to protect the Palestinian cause and its national security while coordinating with Arab leaders on an alternative plan, voices from war-ravaged Gaza say they want out.
Gazans, desperate to escape, told Fox News Digital they support President Donald Trump’s relocation proposal – to turn Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” after emptying it of its more than 2 million Palestinians – though it remains unclear if they would be allowed to return. Many Gazans say they want to leave – if only the borders would open.
“I will be living in tents for 10 years. Egypt was responsible for rebuilding Gaza after past wars – and you can still see some of the rubble from the Israeli military campaign in 2008. I’d rather leave and gain 10 years of life than wait for some plan to be implemented while I live in a tent,” said Walid, a 29-year-old from Nuseirat Camp in northern Gaza, told Fox News Digital via WhatsApp in an interview facilitated by the Center for Peace Communications (CPC).
Makeshift tents set up near the heavily fortified security fence with Egypt on March 8, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“If they open the gate, half of Gaza will leave,” he told Fox News Digital. “The other half will stay, but not because they love Hamas. Some will stay because they still have a house, a job, or family members who can’t leave.”
As post-war plans for Gaza take shape, Mohamad’s question remains: “If Gazans want to leave, why won’t anyone let them?”
Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.
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