An Israeli journalist and survivor of Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel warned that President Donald Trump’s plan for U.S. reconstruction of Gaza could undermine the ongoing ceasefire at an event hosted by the Center for Jewish Civilization Feb. 6.
Amir Tibon, a contributor at Israeli newspaper Haaretz, discussed his book “The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands.” Tibon’s book is an award-winning account of an attack on his kibbutz, Nahal Oz, one of dozens of communities targeted in a surprise terror attack on Israel by Hamas militants who killed over 1,200 Israelis and took over 200 hostages Oct. 7, 2023. A ceasefire in the ensuing Israel-Hamas war took effect Jan. 19, with 33 Israeli hostages and 1,900 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released during the first 42-day phase, as talks continue to establish terms for the second phase.
At a Feb. 4 joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he intends for the United States to take over control of Gaza, permanently resettle the Gazan population in other countries in the Middle East and reconstruct and develop Gaza. Members of the Trump administration have attempted to walk back Trump’s statements.
Tibon said the future steps laid out in Trump’s comments do not align with the goals of the ceasefire agreement.
“If he’s talking about Israel finishing the war and handing over Gaza to the Americans, that doesn’t really align with the terms of the agreement that was struck last month, which talks about a ceasefire, a release of all the hostages, a withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza and formal end of the war,” Tibon said at the event.
On the morning of Feb. 6, before the event, Trump posted a statement on social media saying that Israel would give the United States control over Gaza after fighting concludes.
Tibon said Trump’s comments and the post imply a continuation of Israel’s offensive against Hamas, which may make Hamas more hesitant to fulfill the ceasefire terms.
“If you’re sitting in Hamas’ chair, for example, you’re asking yourself, ‘Should I continue this deal if what’s waiting for me is a resumption of the war, which is against the terms of the deal?’” Tibon said.
Tibon added that a continuation of the war would prevent the transfer of power to a Palestinian civilian government, which he says is a prerequisite for other Arab countries, like Qatar, to invest in the reconstruction of Gaza.
“You’d be setting your own money on fire,” Tibon said. “If Hamas is still in power at the end of the war, then the next war is a matter of time, two or three years at the most.”
Tibon said uncertainty over what Trump’s actual plans are makes planning for the future difficult both for the participants in the ceasefire talks and for affected communities in Israel looking to rebuild their kibbutzim.
“The distance between the kind of hostage ceasefire deal that was signed and what Trump is talking about is huge, and in between are hundreds of possible scenarios,” Tibon said.
Tibon said he believes the proposal that the United States would control Gaza was not something Netanyahu had been aware of before the press conference.
“This is where you could see that even the prime minister was confused and surprised, and I’ve been covering him for many years,” Tibon said. “I know his body language.”
“You could see that he had this ‘What the hell?’ reaction,” Tibon added.
Turning to discuss his book, Tibon said he chose to write about his personal experience surviving the Hamas attack to counter denialist claims.
“I saw already from Oct. 8 that there was a phenomenon — trend, I would even call it — of denying, minimizing, questioning, justifying the atrocities of Oct. 7,” Tibon said. “And I felt like my mission was to write the story in English for an international audience to just tell the story.”
Tibon said the most urgent demand of his community is seeing the remaining hostages returned and not letting Trump’s comments obfuscate that goal.
“We need them to get back to their families so that we can have a sense of closure,” Tibon said. “I can tell you that for us, we feel like in a way it’s still Oct. 7 until this issue of the hostages is resolved.”
