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Gaza’s Forgotten Jewish History

US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, Feb. 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
Donald Trump has never been one to think small. Whether it’s real estate, presidential campaigns, or diplomatic deals, he swings for the fences — never mind if there’s no stadium, no scoreboard, and half the world is telling him he’s out before he’s even up to bat.
This week, facing the press in the East Room of the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump unveiled what might be his most audacious foreign policy brainstorm yet: the United States should take ownership of Gaza. Not manage, not advise, not even bankroll — straight-out own it.
In true Trumpian fashion, he envisions a Gaza transformed from a bombed-out wasteland into a shimmering economic paradise — “the Riviera of the Middle East.” A Middle Eastern Monaco, minus the gambling. A Dubai-on-the-Med.
And before anyone could even absorb the sheer magnitude of what he was proposing, Trump kept rolling: 1.8 million Palestinians could be relocated — details to be worked out later. The US would “level” Gaza, clear the unexploded ordnance, and oversee a massive 10-15-year international redevelopment project.
If that sounds ambitious, unexpected, and slightly surreal, don’t worry — Trump assured everyone that it’s definitely an idea worth exploring. And just to drive the point home, he announced that he’d personally visit Israel and Gaza to get the ball rolling.
Netanyahu smiled sheepishly, looking bemused and a little shocked as he carefully navigated Trump’s latest foreign policy bombshell. “I think it’s something that could change history,” he offered tactfully, while reporters shouted questions and cameras snapped away furiously.
Was this classic Trump hyperbole or the first step toward an unprecedented geopolitical shakeup? With Trump, you can love it, hate it, or just shake your head in disbelief — but you definitely can’t ignore it.
But as the world predictably yells “ethnic cleansing” and dismisses Trump’s idea as delusional, it’s worth remembering Gaza’s extensive Jewish roots — and that, if anything, it’s the Jews who have been ethnically cleansed from Gaza.
Because let’s face it, the notion of Jews having a stake in Gaza isn’t some modern Zionist invention — it’s a historical reality stretching back over 3,000 years. Long before Gaza became a terrorist stronghold run by radical Islamist murderers and rapists, this strip of land was part of the biblical Land of Israel, allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47). Samson had his fateful showdown in Gaza (Judges 16:23-30), collapsing the Philistine temple and everyone inside it, in his final act of defiance.
Fast forward to the Second Temple period, and Gaza remained vital to Jewish life. After the Hasmoneans liberated Judea from Greek rule, they conquered Gaza in 96 BCE, incorporating it into the Jewish kingdom.
Even under Roman rule, Gaza’s Jewish community thrived. Jewish merchants played a key role in the city’s bustling market — as referenced in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 11b).
During the Byzantine period, the Jewish presence in Gaza was so significant that the local community boasted a magnificent synagogue rediscovered near the ancient port in 1965. Its mosaic floor depicted King David playing a harp — a Jewish-themed biblical tribute quite literally set in stone.
And the Jewish connection didn’t end there. In medieval times, Jewish travelers, scholars, and kabbalists lived and taught in Gaza. Under Ottoman rule, Jews continued to reside in the city, engaging in commerce and religious scholarship.
The famed preacher and kabbalist, Rabbi Israel Najara, served as Gaza’s chief rabbi in the early 1600s. Curiously, Gaza’s most famous Jewish son during that period was the notorious Nathan of Gaza (“Natan Azzati”), a 17th-century mystic who became the chief promoter and “prophet” of the false messiah Shabbetai Tzvi. And even in the modern era, a small Jewish community remained in Gaza — until the 1929 Arab riots forced them to flee.
So there you have it. Those are the facts. Gaza was Jewish long before it became a Hamas terror base. The real historical anomaly isn’t the thought of Jews returning and Arabs leaving — it’s the insistence that Gaza must remain forever Judenrein.
As the Bible recalls, Gaza’s first great collapse came at the hands of Samson. Blinded, shackled, and dragged into the Philistine temple, he was meant to be their trophy — proof that Israel’s strength had been broken.
But in his final act, Samson grasped the pillars, pushed with all his might, and brought the entire structure down. Thousands were crushed, including the Philistine rulers, marking the beginning of the end for Philistine dominance in Gaza.
The prophets of Israel saw this as a pattern. Amos (1:6-7), Zephaniah (2:4-7), and Zechariah (9:5-7) all foretold Gaza’s destruction and desolation due to its cruelty toward Israel. And time proved them right — Gaza fell again and again, each time brought low by its own unbridled violence against the Jewish people.
And now, in our own time, we are watching that prophecy unfold before our eyes yet again. Hamas has led Gaza into ruin and utter collapse, just as the Philistines did before them. The question is: what do we do with this moment?
When the Jewish people left Egypt in the Exodus story, God deliberately steered them away from Gaza (Ex. 13:17): “For God said, lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt.” But although the Israelites avoided the confrontation then, it only led to more brutal battles later on.
History teaches us that avoiding evil does not make it disappear — it only delays the inevitable. Thankfully, the Philistines met their end, as the prophets predicted. Today, in a truly historic moment, we have a rare opportunity to finally reshape Gaza’s future for the good — and end Hamas once and for all — but only if we recognize that history rewards those who seize the moment, not those who run from it.
And maybe that’s President Trump’s point. His unorthodox approach may need some reframing, but he is at least forcing a conversation that most world leaders and opinion-formers would rather avoid.
The question isn’t whether Trump’s idea is radical — the real question is whether the world is finally ready to confront Gaza’s reality instead of endlessly postponing it. Because the past suggests one thing: when Gaza collapses under the weight of its own destruction, history doesn’t end — it resets. The only thing we should consider is whether we will shape what comes next, or let Gaza slip back into the hands of those who would destroy it again.
The post Gaza’s Forgotten Jewish History first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Warns Against Cooperation with US Relief Efforts In Bid to Restore Grip on Gaza

Hamas terrorists carry grenade launchers at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza has warned residents not to cooperate with the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, as the terror group seeks to reassert its grip on the enclave amid mounting international pressure to accept a US-brokered ceasefire.
“It is strictly forbidden to deal with, work for, or provide any form of assistance or cover to the American organization (GHF) or its local or foreign agents,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“Legal action will be taken against anyone proven to be involved in cooperation with this organization, including the imposition of the maximum penalties stipulated in the applicable national laws,” the statement warns.
The GHF released a statement in response to Hamas’ warnings, saying the organization has delivered millions of meals “safely and without interference.”
“This statement from the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry confirms what we’ve known all along: Hamas is losing control,” the GHF said.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
According to their reports, the organization has delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
Hamas’s latest threat comes amid growing international pressure to accept a US-backed ceasefire plan proposed by President Donald Trump, which sets a 60-day timeline to finalize the details leading to a full resolution of the conflict.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalize a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, though Israel has not confirmed this claim.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump next week in Washington, DC — his third visit in less than six months — as they work to finalize the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Even though Trump hasn’t provided details on the proposed truce, he said Washington would “work with all parties to end the war” during the 60-day period.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he wrote in a social media post.
Since the start of the war, ceasefire talks between Jerusalem and Hamas have repeatedly failed to yield enduring results.
Israeli officials have previously said they will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile — a demand the terror group has firmly rejected.
“I am telling you — there will be no Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a speech Wednesday.
For its part, Hamas has said it is willing to release the remaining 50 hostages — fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
While the terrorist group said it is “ready and serious” to reach a deal that would end the war, it has yet to accept this latest proposal.
In a statement, the group said it aims to reach an agreement that “guarantees an end to the aggression, the withdrawal [of Israeli forces], and urgent relief for our people in the Gaza Strip.”
According to media reports, the proposed 60-day ceasefire would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a surge in humanitarian aid, and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, with US and mediator assurances on advancing talks to end the war — though it remains unclear how many hostages would be freed.
For Israel, the key to any deal is the release of most, if not all, hostages still held in Gaza, as well as the disarmament of Hamas, while the terror group is seeking assurances to end the war as it tries to reassert control over the war-torn enclave.
The post Hamas Warns Against Cooperation with US Relief Efforts In Bid to Restore Grip on Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UK Lawmakers Move to Designate Palestine Action as Terrorist Group Following RAF Vandalism Protest

Police block a street as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather to protest British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s plans to proscribe the “Palestine Action” group in the coming weeks, in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
British lawmakers voted Wednesday to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, following the group’s recent vandalizing of two military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base in protest of the government’s support for Israel.
Last month, members of the UK-based anti-Israel group Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, a county west of London, and vandalized two Voyager aircraft used for military transport and refueling — the latest in a series of destructive acts carried out by the organization.
Palestine Action has regularly targeted British sites connected to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems as well as other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza in 2023.
Under British law, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has the authority to ban an organization if it is believed to commit, promote, or otherwise be involved in acts of terrorism.
Passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 385 to 26 in the lower chamber — the House of Commons — the measure is now set to be reviewed by the upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Thursday.
If approved, the ban would take effect within days, making it a crime to belong to or support Palestine Action and placing the group on the same legal footing as Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Islamic State under UK law.
Palestine Action, which claims that Britain is an “active participant” in the Gaza conflict due to its military support for Israel, condemned the ban as “an unhinged reaction” and announced plans to challenge it in court — similar to the legal challenges currently being mounted by Hamas.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, belonging to a proscribed group is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison or a fine, while wearing clothing or displaying items supporting such a group can lead to up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the recent attack, in which two of its activists sprayed red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft and used crowbars to inflict additional damage.
According to the group, the red paint — also sprayed across the runway — was meant to symbolize “Palestinian bloodshed.” A Palestine Liberation Organization flag was also left at the scene.
On Thursday, local authorities arrested four members of the group, aged between 22 and 35, who were charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, as well as conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
Palestine Action said this latest attack was carried out as a protest against the planes’ role in supporting what the group called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.
At the time of the attack, Cooper condemned the group’s actions, stating that their behavior had grown increasingly aggressive and resulted in millions of pounds in damages.
“The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton … is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action,” Cooper said in a written statement.
“The UK’s defense enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk,” she continued.
The post UK Lawmakers Move to Designate Palestine Action as Terrorist Group Following RAF Vandalism Protest first appeared on Algemeiner.com.