Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly pushing a plan to relocate up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya.
The plan, revealed by NBC News on Friday, cites five unnamed sources who said the idea has advanced enough to be directly discussed with Libyan leaders.
According to three sources, the U.S. has offered to unfreeze billions in Libyan assets if Tripoli agrees to host displaced Palestinians. Israeli officials are said to be monitoring the negotiations, but no final agreement has yet been reached.
Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. should “take” possession of Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone.”
“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Make it a freedom zone,” Trump told reporters in Qatar before travelling to the UAE. “Let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone… because it seems that Gaza, every time, every 10 years, it happens.
“If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone. Let some good things happen. Put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” he said.
A former U.S. official told NBC News that the number of Palestinians who would voluntarily leave Gaza is unclear. Officials are reportedly considering offering free housing and a stipend as incentives to relocate.
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No decision has been made on where Palestinians would be settled in Libya. Air, land, and sea routes for transport from Gaza are being examined, according to sources familiar with the plan.
However, the White House told Anadolu Agency that the report is “not true.”
A spokesperson added: “The situation on the ground is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense.”
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told NBC that Palestinians remain firmly rooted in their homeland and would resist any forced relocation.
“They are ready to fight up to the end… [and] exclusively the only party who have the right to decide for the Palestinians,” he said.
Representatives of the Israeli government declined to comment.
The plan would face major logistical and financial challenges. Libya has remained unstable since 2011, when long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
The country is currently divided between two rival administrations: one in Tripoli led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and another in the east under Khalifa Haftar.
This week, Tripoli saw renewed clashes following the death of militia leader Abdel Ghani al-Kikli. A ceasefire was brokered on Wednesday to end two days of fighting.
The U.S. State Department warns against travel to Libya, citing risks including terrorism, civil unrest and armed conflict.
The Trump administration has reportedly also considered using Libya as a destination for immigrants being deported from the U.S., although those plans have faced legal challenges.
Libya’s current population is estimated at around 7.36 million. The arrival of one million Palestinians would be equivalent, in relative terms, to the U.S. absorbing over 46 million people.
