Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu know that when he stood next to Donald Trump at their joint press conference earlier this month, the president would announce America’s plan to take over Gaza? It’s unclear, but it would be on brand for Trump to surprise everyone with a public statement.

While gaining a foothold on the Mediterranean offers strategic advantages, U.S. control of Gaza is far from certain. The announcement could simply be part of Trump’s signature negotiation tactic — the “art of the deal.” How ownership discussions unfold remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: It is in everyone’s interest for the war-torn strip, now little more than bombed-out rubble, to change hands.

Without considering the historical implications, Gazans obliterated what they had presented to the world as their own civilization’s origins.

The destruction in Gaza is not nearly as extensive as in Dresden, where the Royal Air Force bombed out 90% of the city in the final months of World War II. At the start of its campaign, Israel warned that all structures in Gaza would be destroyed, yet roughly one-third remain standing. But those buildings are uninhabitable due to a lack of utilities, meaning reconstruction must start anew.

Unlike Dresden and other European cities that lost priceless architectural treasures, Gaza had little of historical or artistic significance above ground. Displaced residents have flooded social media with prewar videos showcasing luxury accommodations and lavish dinners, portraying what they call “beautiful Gaza.” But these images were captured before the October 7 massacre, when terrorists and their civilian accomplices slaughtered nearly 1,600 Israelis and took hundreds of hostages.

Gazans are mostly emoting. But they didn’t like their cities enough to give up hostages in exchange for peace, and truth be told, their settlements consisted mostly of soulless blocks of concrete. Replacing them is not much of a challenge — that’s not where the difficulty lies.

U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff estimates that rebuilding Gaza will take 10 to 15 years. The United Nations offers a less optimistic outlook, projecting a 21-year timeline with a $1.2 billion price tag. The first major hurdle will be clearing the rubble.

Buried treasures

Since Israel brought the war to Gaza, 50 million tons of debris have accumulated across the strip, some contaminated with asbestos. Human remains are among the wreckage. Hamas claims that 10,000 of its fighters are buried in the rubble. The bodies of hostages will also likely be found and need to be returned to Israel. Unexploded ordnance is presumed to be widespread.

Developers cannot simply send in bulldozers to clear the land. There’s another reason why cleanup and reconstruction in Gaza will be a complicated task: Its greatest riches lie beneath the surface. The 140-square-mile enclave sits at a historical crossroads, where layers of sand have buried fragments of past civilizations.

Gaza, an Arabized form of the ancient Hebrew name Aza, meaning “strong,” holds a deep historical legacy. In the 1960s, archaeologists uncovered a pre-Islamic sixth-century synagogue adorned with mosaics. More recently, in 2022, contractors mistakenly identified a Roman necropolis from the time of Jesus as a Hamas tunnel before realizing its true significance.

Gazans have proven themselves to be poor guardians of world heritage. In 2017, terrorists destroyed the excavation grounds of a 4,500-year-old Canaanite village, replacing them with apartment buildings and military bases. The demolition stands in stark contrast to the Palestinian nationalist movement’s shifting narrative. Initially, the movement claimed Philistine heritage but recently adopted Canaanite ancestry, even though Canaanites ceased to exist as a distinct cultural group around the time of the Bronze Age collapse, when Jewish tribes arrived in the Levant.

Without considering the historical implications, Gazans obliterated what they had presented to the world as their own civilization’s origins.

The terror tunnels beneath Gaza, spanning between 350 and 450 miles, have been buried without any archaeological examination. Despite the presence of NGOs in the region since the 1950s, no international organization has questioned what happened to the excavated soil. Further damage may have occurred when Israel, in an effort to eliminate Hamas, destroyed much of the underground network. Because terrorists used these tunnels to hide hostages and launch attacks, their destruction became central to Israel’s military strategy.

Preserving archaeological sites buried within the ruins may not be a priority now, but it should be. Researchers should examine the debris before any new construction begins.

Ready to go

While Israel works to protect archaeological and religious sites, Arab authorities in the region have a troubling record with the Holy Land’s antiquities. In the 1990s, the Waqf, the Islamic religious council overseeing Jerusalem’s holy sites, conducted illegal excavations on the Temple Mount. The council secretly removed artifacts from the First and Second Jewish Temples and dumped them into a nearby valley under cover of night.

The desecration occurred at the height of two-state-solution utopianism, while the Israeli government passively observed the destruction. Tolerance for such barbarism declined after the terror war of the 2000s and especially after the Oct. 7 massacre.

Before his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump stated that Gazans have no alternative but to leave, a position he has repeated several times since. Relocating nearly 2 million people presents a significant challenge, but with realistic rebuilding efforts likely to take generations, they will need a place to go.

Even before the conflict escalated in October 2023, roughly half of young Gazans expressed a desire to leave. Now that the issue is openly discussed, Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar has found that most Gazans are prepared to move.

After the recent truce, Gazans declared victory. Observing their celebrations — from the sadistic hostage release ceremonies to terrorist parades and ululating women — it is difficult to ignore the reality that, even after a year and a half in evacuation, many show little interest in coexistence.

If reconstruction occurs while they remain, NGOs that previously allied with Hamas and ignored the looting of valuable land will likely provide material support once again. Even if a new set of NGOs emerges, history suggests that no organization can operate in Gaza without aligning itself with the terror group.

Hamas relied on Gaza’s small, flat landscape to launch attacks and retreat into its tunnel network. If it remains intact, Hamas will likely continue recklessly expanding its underground infrastructure.

A thriving landscape again?

A debate continues over whether Gaza belongs to the biblical Jewish state. Some argue that it primarily belonged to the Philistines and was never incorporated into ancient Israelite kingdoms. However, others note that it was part of the Promised Land, captured by Judah and frequently mentioned in the scriptures. Despite this history, Israel has refrained from formally claiming the territory.

Religious considerations aside, Israel should have full authority over Gaza’s future — not just as the aggrieved party entitled to compensation but as a proven steward of the land. The Zionist project transformed the land into thriving communities by draining swamps, irrigating fields, and building one of the world’s most advanced societies. It also protects cultural heritage sites.

Hamas must never again hold the land hostage to its murderous ambitions. In the interest of justice and remembrance, a small section of the Gaza Strip — perhaps a remnant of a tunnel — should be preserved as a hostage memorial.