Majority of Americans oppose Trump’s plan to ‘own’ Gaza: Poll

64% of Americans oppose Trump’s proposal to expel Palestinians from Gaza and 'take over' enclave, according to Data for Progress

A recent survey found that 64% of Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip and transform it into what he described as the "Riviera of the Middle East."   A significant portion of those polled expressed strong opposition, with 47% saying they "strongly" oppose the plan and 17% saying they "somewhat" oppose it, revealed the survey, conducted by progressive think tank and polling firm Data for Progress.   Among Democratic voters, 85% opposed the idea, while 43% of Republicans were against it. Meanwhile, 46% of Republican respondents supported the proposal.   The poll, which surveyed 1,200 respondents across the US, outlined that such a plan would involve "forcibly resettling" the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians currently living in Gaza to neighboring countries.   "A strong majority of voters are against the U.S. assuming control over Gaza and displacing its Palestinian population,” Data for Progress said in its findings.   Trump’s proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians, which has been widely rejected by Palestinians and the broader Arab and Muslim world, comes amid a fragile ceasefire agreement that took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, pausing Israel’s 15-month onslaught, which has killed more than 48,200 people and left the enclave in ruins.   Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for years, effectively turning it into the world’s largest open-air prison.   Nearly 2 million of its 2.3 million residents have been forcibly displaced since the start of the war after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 as they face dire shortages of food, water and medicine.