The ‘Trump Gaza’ video is a masterclass in psychological warfare.

The ‘Trump Gaza’ video is an exercise in psychological warfare, blending satire, provocation and symbolic dominance. It presents an exaggerated, surreal vision of Gaza’s future, one that is both deliberately offensive to Hamas and a declaration of Western power. The imagery is laden with cultural and political messaging, turning Gaza into a spectacle of conquest.

It opens with the phrase ‘What’s next?’ emblazoned in the colours of the US flag. This is more than a tagline; it is the planting of an idea — the planting of the US flag in fact, suggesting not only the transformation of Gaza but also an American-led reshaping of the region. The US is scripting this story.

The imagery of a Gaza mother and children emerging from tunnels onto a pristine beach serves as a stark juxtaposition, an apparent transition from war and suffering to an idealised, Western-styled paradise. This is reinforced by scenes of children running enthusiastically onto the beach, implying a utopian escape from Hamas rule.

The most pointed act of provocation comes with the bearded men dressed as dancing ladies. Did you do a double-take too? This is deliberate bamboozlement to soften your brain for the messages to follow. Beyond confusion, it’s an insult to Hamas. This is not merely cross-dressing. It appears to be an AI-generated depiction of trans-identified males dancing, a direct mockery of Hamas’ strict religious and gender norms. It insults masculinity and moral corruption as a weapon of humiliation.

Later we see Trump with a belly dancer, a woman this time, as if to contrast it with the previous scene and underline the hypocrisy of what is deemed haram or acceptable.

The video continues with Trump’s golden balloon-like face floating in the air, an absurdist symbol of cult-like idolatry, and Elon Musk, another emblem of Western capitalism and tech dominance, appears eating hummus and standing in a confetti shower of money on the beach. This reinforces the idea that Gaza is no longer a battleground but a place for global elites to consume and capitalise upon. The wealth, the leisure, the indulgence tell you everything about who holds power and who does not in the new Gaza.

Perhaps the most blatant act of symbolic colonisation is the huge golden statue of Trump, and small Trump statues for sale. It is the imagery of an emperor, an occupying force memorialising itself in gold, turning Gaza into a shrine to his legacy. The closing visual of Trump and Netanyahu lying on the beach together cements the alliance behind this imagined future, turning a war zone into a shared retreat for the architects of this vision.

The video has shocked X today. It was meant to. But it follows a long tradition of extreme propaganda that uses exaggerated imagery to assert dominance over an enemy. It recalls World War II cartoons that depicted the Axis and Allied powers as grotesque caricatures, designed to humiliate and dehumanise. It also echoes Cold War propaganda, where the United States and the Soviet Union both created films that depicted their enemies as corrupt, decadent or subhuman. ‘Trump Gaza’ does not aim for a reasoned discussion. It is an ideological spectacle, a declaration of power and ownership through satire, excess and visual mockery.

And for what it's worth, it is not in the same league as the grotesque propaganda spectacles of Israeli hostages, alive or dead, paraded on stage when released.