UN expert, Amnesty slam ‘absurd’ clip of Gaza as seaside resort posted on Trump social media – World

A UN expert and Amnesty International official on Wednesday slammed an apparent AI-generated video depicting battle-ravaged Gaza rebuilt into a seaside resort posted on US President Donald Trump’s official social media accounts, replete with a towering golden statue of himself.

The video, which racked up more than 15 million views on Instagram and was shared thousands of times on Trump’s Truth Social network by Wednesday morning, prompted some commenters to question whether the president’s accounts had been hacked.

The 33-second clip remained on Trump’s accounts without denial or retraction hours after the initial posting on Tuesday night. Social media users reacted with both support and criticism, but many questioned whether Trump himself had posted the montage.

UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights Francesca Albanese slammed the video as “absurd” in a post on X.

“What the new US administration is doing is very clear and strategic: it is called psychological overwhelming. Hitting us every day with XXL doses of baffling rhetoric and erratic policies serves to ‘control the script’, distracting and disorienting us, normalising the absurd, all while disrupting global stability (and consolidating US control).”

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said she had “no words indeed. Beyond indecency?”

The video “Gaza 2025 What’s Next?” opens with people on a rubble-strewn street emerging from a tunnel onto a beach with palm trees and yachts.

Trump has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza under which its Palestinian population would be relocated — a proposal that has triggered widespread criticism.

He later appeared to soften his plan, saying he was only recommending the idea, and conceded the leaders of Jordan and Egypt had rejected the proposal to move Palestinians against their will.

In the social media clip, the soundtrack includes the lyrics “Donald’s coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see” and “feast and dance, the deal is done, Trump Gaza number one.”

Seemingly AI-generated renditions of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sipping cocktails in swimsuits by a pool, while other shots show what appears to be Elon Musk dancing under a shower of cash on the beach.

A larger-than-life golden statue of Trump is also featured.

AFP did not find any evidence the video had been shared online before it was posted to Trump’s Truth Social and Instagram accounts.

One scene, however, closely resembles an AI-generated image of Trump and Netanyahu drinking cocktails that began circulating in early February.

More than 15 months of fighting have left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins and most of its population displaced.

Another scene shows belly dancers shimmying on the beach, sporting thick, long beards.

In Gaza, people who watched the video were in disbelief.

“This video of Trump is full of fallacies and shows a lack of cultural awareness … Gaza won’t become a tourist spot like Italy or Spain,” said Nasser Abu Hadaid, a 60-year-old resident of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

“What I know about Trump is that he is a strange but bold president who does what he says he will do. What matters to him is money and investments – there is no humanity,” said Manal Abu Seif, a 23-year-old lawyer in Gaza City.

“Gaza needs freedom, open border crossings and jobs for young people, and is not a playground for tourism and investment,” she added.

UN estimates put the cost of reconstruction at more than $53 billion.

A fragile ceasefire in effect since January 19 has allowed an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza, though Hamas has accused Israel of blocking the entry of some essential supplies.