US Takeover of Gaza – A Total Defeat of Sinwar’s Generation of Hamas Leaders

The first generation of Hamas leaders has failed significantly. U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to actively oversee the rebuilding of Gaza shows that Sinwar’s generation of Hamas leaders has experienced a reversal of fate. Their malicious agenda of holding the people of Gaza hostage for violent acts against Israel has backfired. This new U.S. policy will reshape Gaza in ways that will undo everything an entire generation of Hamas leaders fought for.

Operation Al Aqsa Flood as they called the October 7^th massacre of Israelis, was to create awareness of the “suffering” of the Palestinian people and reinforce claims to some religious sites in the Holy Lands[1][2]. In fact the post facto rationalization of the terrorist incident on Israel fails to reveal the years of systematic conditioning of Gaza to execute such a destructive act. The goal of an entire generation of Hamas leadership over the Gaza Strip was bottle up and nurture hate to levels that could trigger an attack on the magnitude of the October 7^th massacres.

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, they have instituted continuous policies that holds Gazans as de facto pawns in their hateful war against Israel. They did four key things that ensured that Gazans could not have a livelihood outside their narrow conditioned path towards violence and terror:

1. Hamas centralized power and maintained strict authoritarian control over Gaza.
2. They undertook a strict ideological capture of Gaza’s state and private sector.
3. They denied Gazans their basic rights and civil liberties.
4. Hamas created artificial poverty in Gaza, channeling money and resources to their militarized terror apparatus.

For years, Palestinian sympathizers in regions like Saudi Arabia warned against extremism in Gaza, but their warnings fell on deaf ears. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has spent the past two decades diversifying economies and advancing through technology. An active conflict in Gaza was a threat to such a vision, and the Gulf countries repeatedly called for moderation from high-risk areas like Gaza. Hamas ignored these warnings.

The Sinwar generation was set in its ways, and violence was the only path they chose. They embraced Iran’s radical spread of violence through its proxies, a disastrous decision that Sinwar’s generation could not foresee.

Reversal of Fate
Everything the Sinwar generation of Hamas stood for has been crushed. They contested land, but now Gaza is destroyed beyond repair. No one could have predicted the scale of the destruction caused by Israel. However, as long as a group like Hamas held 250 Israeli hostages, any military force could be justified to rescue them. We’ve seen similar actions by Russia in the Beslan school siege and by Türkiye in Kurdish territories. Whether accidental or by design, the destruction of Gaza in the October 7 war was enormous.

U.S. President Trump is doing what a global leader should – facilitating the resettlement of the people. While it might be unprecedented in international relations, Trump’s position is logical and valid. No one can fault him for calling for the relocation of Gaza’s population. Young Gazans have the right to a decent life, free from radicalization and purposeful incitement of hatred. Therefore, the relocation of Gazans is based on principles that are likely to endure.

The land is contested, and for now, no group holds absolute right to any territory. Survival in the Holy Lands requires maneuvering and realpolitik. Sinwar, Haniyeh, and the first generation of Hamas leaders failed to recognize this basic truth. They cultivated a dangerous alliance with Iran’s extreme elements and authorized the October 7th massacres. That event has wiped out an entire generation of Hamas leaders.

Freedom for Gazans: End of Hamas Authoritarianism
The right to choose and the civil liberties denied to Gazans for so many years will be restored. Through relocation, Gazans will gain the ability to develop themselves, work, earn a decent living, and build a future. The totalitarian system imposed by the previous generation of Hamas leaders will fade, replaced by a more decentralized and autonomous group of Gazans aspiring for a better life. Hamas’s ideological control and monopoly over power will crumble. Trump’s proposal offers a new solution to the Palestinian challenge. It may be novel, but given the past, where leaders like Sinwar’s generation hijacked the collective for terrorist ends, an individually empowering alternative might prove superior.

Anyone who truly cares about the well-being of Palestinians should give Trump’s proposal a chance.

Conclusion
The cost of terror is always greater than its benefits. The aftermath of October 7th has proven this, as everything Hamas built in Gaza with billions of dollars was lost in just a few months of fighting. An entire generation of Hamas leaders, who monopolized power, forced Gazan children to hate Israelis, trained terrorist operatives, and subjected other Gazans to poverty, has been eliminated.

Had the October 7th massacres not occurred, Hamas might have held on to power and possibly transitioned to a more positive statecraft. However, Sinwar’s generation of Hamas leaders lost everything, suffering an unimaginable reversal of fate.

As it stands, Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans offers great promise. Gazan children and young adults can now move to a safe location, live under credible governments, develop real-world skills, and contribute to the global economy. This will weaken the Sinwar generation of Hamas leaders, who were focused solely on violence and radicalization. Anyone who cares for Palestinians and Gazans will support Trump’s approach.

[1] The News Line. "‘7th October was a justified rebellion against the Israeli occupying force!’" Published: July 13, 2024. Available at: https://wrp.org.uk/features/7th-october-was-a-justified-rebellion-against-the-israeli-occupying-force/

[2] Al Jazeera. "Hamas says October 7 attack was a ‘necessary step’, admits to ‘some faults’" Published: January 21, 2024. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/21/hamas-says-october-7-attack-was-a-necessary-step-admits-to-some-faults