As Donald Trump continues to threaten to take control over the Gaza Strip, an unlikely consensus has emerged across hardcore jihadist and far-right circles: both strongly oppose any new US military actions in the territory.
Now experts are warning that Trump’s plan is galvanizing two of the most dangerous and organized extremist movements with track records of domestic terrorist attacks.
What initially began as an impromptu proposal during a White House visit with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, now appears to be the makings of serious policy: the president wants to turn Gaza into a sort of American resort on the Mediterranean, despite widespread condemnation from the global community.
“We’re going to take it,” said Trump last week. “We’re going to hold it.”
The United Nations chief called Trump’s plan “ethnic cleansing” while two key regional allies, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, have outright rejected it. Since the 7 October attacks in 2023, at least 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza (many of whom are women and children) have died.
But any hypothetical takeover of war-torn Gaza – still teeming with thousands of Hamas fighters – undoubtedly requires American troops to be deployed to the Middle East on a mission of occupation for the first time since the failed Iraq war. Of course, the Islamic State (IS), originally an offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq, was spawned out of that conflict.
Already, some of its propagandists and supporters are vowing to fight Trump’s plans for Gaza.
“Islamic State knew that the [Americans] will takeover Gaza and displace the Palestinian [Muslims] to Sinai and other nearby countries and now we have Trump [infidel] who is talking about taking Gaza and displacing its population,” said one IS propagandist on an internal RocketChat, the group’s choice encrypted messaging service that it uses for recruitment.
Trump is demanding that Egypt and Jordan, along with the other Arab League countries, take in Palestinian refugees he intends to displace during his rebuilding of Gaza.
Another IS propaganda image spreading online through its media wing shows a picture of Trump pointing to Gaza on a map with the message: “The [infidels] will never succeed.”
“It is a Jewish project under American sponsorship that aims to fire the last bullet of mercy on the so-called ‘issue’ of the Arab-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli conflict,” wrote another unknown IS operative about Trump’s plans, in one of its recent monthly magazines to followers.
Lucas Webber, a senior threat intelligence analyst at Tech Against Terrorism and a research fellow at the Soufan Center, pointed out that “Islamic State supporters have taken to social media and messaging applications to capitalize on these comments and frame them as confirming the organization’s already-developing narratives about US support for Israel and its policies”.
Webber says it’s a continuation of a highly successful campaign after 7 October to “tap into sentiments stirred up by the Israeli military response to Hamas’s attack to gain support, recruit, fundraise and incite violence”.
He also noted that IS has newly active cells all over the world and has made concerted efforts to inspire followers in the US, such as the recent mass casualty event in New Orleans over the holidays.
“The recent statement provides fodder for [IS] to continue leveraging this potent issue,” said Webber.
On the other side of the spectrum, white nationalists of almost every ilk have gone against the Trump administration’s designs on Gaza. For accelerationist neo-Nazis, the kinds that preach coordinated bombings and other attacks to bring down the US government, they are undoubtedly inspired by their antisemitic hatred for Israel.
“TRUMP TO SEND WHITES TO DIE FOR JEWS IN OCCUPATION OF GAZA,” said one prominent neo-Nazi account on Telegram in a post with over 2,000 views. “At present, our race is under the direction of hostile foreign tribes.”
That account promised to “organize our people” against any Gaza war and the government.
“They still want to genocide western white men,” said another user in response to that post. “Don’t be fooled by certain concessions the system will try to make.”
“They still very much hate you, but need you to fight their war.”
Many have also pointed out that if any potential occupation of Gaza looks anything similar to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, it means the deaths of American soldiers.
“If Trump actually tries to follow through, there will be a war in which Americans will be expected to fight,” said one of the most influential neo-Nazi accounts on Telegram. “Are you going to go fight and die so Trump can give Gaza to Israel?”
Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism analyst at the non-profit Counter Extremism Project, said that a prospective Gaza occupation has angered the far right “more than any other issue has in 2025 so far”.
“White supremacist online propagandists have reacted to Trump’s idea to take over Gaza with disgust and have stated that it is an act of betrayal,” he said. “The proposal is being portrayed as Trump sending white Americans to die on behalf of Israel.”
One common theme emerging is that veterans of the “war on terror”, some of whom are operating these far-right Telegram accounts, are denouncing wars in far-off countries.
“Our war is here,” said one popular far-right account that is run by a US military veteran. “Not in Ukraine, not in Gaza, but right here on the North American continent.”
Fisher-Birch said he had seen that account and those of other veterans who are deeply unhappy.
“Several Telegram channels run by individuals who claim to be [global war on terrorism] veterans have condemned Trump’s Gaza takeover plan,” he said. “Other channels have stated that the extreme risks associated with the plan are a good reason why white men should avoid the military and seek training elsewhere.”
