Palestinians have released a response to a widely ridiculed AI-generated video shared by US President Donald Trump.
The footage, shared on his social media account, promoted his much-condemned “Gaza Riviera” plan, a proposal that envisions transforming the besieged Gaza Strip into a luxury tourist destination under US control forcibly displacing millions of Palestinians.
The original clip depicted a fictionalised version of Gaza, with figures resembling Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and tech billionaire Elon Musk enjoying a luxurious resort holdiay.
The video features images of bearded belly dancers, a giant Kim Il Sung-esque statue of the president, and his long-time ally Musk raining wads of money over groups of applauding tourists or locals.
In response, Sahat, a Palestinian digital media platform, released on X a counter-video portraying a different future for Gaza; a transformed enclave with refurbished streets, a vibrant seaport, bustling markets, and a reorganised society.
A message to #Trump: #Gaza will always be Palestinian! pic.twitter.com/mHQ5kyKgQo
— Sahat English 🇵🇸 (@sahatenglish) February 27, 2025
In one particular scene, crowds of Palestinians appear to return to their homeland, mirroring real-life events when displaced people rushed back to northern Gaza after the ceasefire was announced.
The group also took aim at Trump, Musk, and Netanyahu – the latter of whom is wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes in Gaza – by imagining a future where they face consequences for their actions during the Gaza war.
Many users rushed to the comments section to share their reactions to the alternative video, with hundreds praising the new take on Trump’s proposals.
“That’s amazing. Pure, beautiful, indigenous and realistic. Palestinians always win our hearts,” one said.
Another added: “This is the Gaza I would visit.”
A third penned: “A much more beautiful vision which reflects the beautiful soul of the Palestinian people. The Trump video represents the depravity and the shallowness of Western society.”
Critics of Trump’s original post condemned it as a desperate attempt to legitimise the Israeli occupation and the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Gaza’s government media spokesperson argued that such narratives sought to justify Israeli crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing, and erase the historical connection of Palestinians to their land.
On the Trump-owned Truth Social media network, many of the US president’s supporters were also overwhelmingly negative about the video, with thousands of people calling on the president to delete it within hours of it being posted.
Trump’s plans, which include the relocation of Palestinians to neighbouring countries like Egypt or Jordan, have been met with widespread international condemnation.
The UN, Arab nations, and Palestinian leaders have strongly rejected the idea, slamming it as advocating ethnic cleansing while being a grave threat to the two-state solution.
