In a grim and eye-opening revelation about the unparalleled devastation in Gaza, a senior member of the newly appointed U.S. administration's Middle East team has delivered an unfiltered assessment of the region’s catastrophic state. Speaking candidly after an on-the-ground visit, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, did not mince words:
“There is almost nothing left. Gaza, as we knew it, no longer exists,” Witkoff told Axios, painting a harrowing picture of a war-ravaged wasteland that could take at least a decade and a half to rebuild—if it ever does.
A City Reduced to Ashes: "There Is No Water, No Electricity—Just Ruins"
As thousands of displaced Gazans cautiously venture back to their obliterated neighborhoods, many are met with a sight so shocking that they immediately turn around and leave.
“People are moving north to see if there is anything left of their homes, but they are finding nothing. No water, no electricity—just ruins and death. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff recounted, still reeling from the apocalyptic landscape he witnessed firsthand.
The level of destruction, he emphasized, is beyond what anyone in Washington had imagined. “This is not a war zone; this is a graveyard,” he added.
"What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza," Witkoff told me. "People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave" https://t.co/GeDg0MMQdK
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) January 30, 2025
Hamas’ Death Grip: A Terror Fortress Built on Civilian Lives
For years, Hamas embedded its terror infrastructure into every fiber of Gaza’s urban landscape, using civilians as human shields while transforming homes, schools, and hospitals into weapons depots, command centers, and tunnel networks.
From missiles hidden under children's beds to bomb-making factories concealed inside bustling retail stores, the terror organization ensured that its military apparatus was intertwined with every aspect of civilian life.
Jabalia
— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) January 23, 2025
That's what you get when you use EVERY SINGLE building for military purposes!
Also in past conflicts the Gazans used their own homes to store weapons and to hide tunnel shafts
The only difference is that we stopped caring.
The laws of war allow us to destroy them! pic.twitter.com/q15BNKdRi4
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had no choice but to respond with zero tolerance once intelligence revealed that Hamas’ underground tunnel network stretched like a sinister web beneath nearly every block in Gaza. The results? A battleground unlike any other in modern warfare—one where Hamas deliberately sacrificed its own population to shield its war machine.
Trump's Radical Proposal: A New Beginning or a Non-Starter?
Witkoff’s staggering report comes just days after President Trump floated a controversial but pragmatic solution: relocating Gazans to a new, safer location where they might finally live in peace—away from Hamas’ endless cycle of destruction.
"Maybe it's time for Arab nations to step in and help build new housing somewhere else, where Gazans can finally live in peace," Trump suggested.
The response? A swift and resounding rejection from the Arab and Muslim world, which has long used Gaza as a pawn in its geopolitical chess game while refusing to take any responsibility for its future.
Trump suggests relocating the Palestinians from Gaza.
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) January 28, 2025
The world loses it: "How can you do that? Gaza is their land, their home!"
Um, so let me get this straight.
Gaza is their home?
So then, someone kindly explain to me how they're refugees in their own home.
Hmmm. pic.twitter.com/0yfztlllJF
When asked whether he personally discussed the relocation idea with Trump, Witkoff confirmed: “No, I have not.”21 Years to Clear the Rubble, $1.2 Billion Just to Begin
The United Nations’ latest damage assessment lays bare the staggering scale of Gaza’s destruction:
- More than 50 million tons of rubble now choke the streets, making the region nearly uninhabitable.
- Clearing the wreckage alone could take 21 years and require at least $1.2 billion—and that’s just for debris removal.
- Entire districts have been erased, leaving behind only skeletal remains of buildings and infrastructure.
“Some people believed we could come up with a solid rebuilding plan within five years. That’s a fantasy,” Witkoff stated bluntly. “The reality is, we’re looking at a 10 to 15-year process—at minimum.”
🚨BREAKING🚨 US envoy Witkoff, currently visiting Israel, spoke with Israeli officials about possible plans for the deportation of Gazans (i.e., transfer from Gaza). Israeli officials: We have the impression that the Americans are serious about this. Not just show-off talk
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) January 29, 2025
A Land Too Dangerous to Walk On
If the structural destruction wasn’t enough, Gaza remains a death trap due to the thousands of unexploded ordnances, booby-trapped buildings, and hidden Hamas tunnels that still pose grave risks.
"It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting,” Witkoff admitted.
With every step forward in Gaza, the world is faced with an unavoidable truth: This isn’t just a humanitarian crisis—it is the fallout of a terrorist regime that has pushed its people into a nightmare from which they may never recover.