President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was planning to seize control of the Gaza Strip and oust 2.2 million Palestinians, temporarily at least, has provoked shock and disbelief around the world.

The expansionist talk in Gaza is playing out as Trump has begun an effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, the federal agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemics and poverty overseas. Trump sees it as a poster child of government waste and advancement of liberal social programs.

Trump has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of Jordan and Egypt opening their borders to allow for the mass evacuation of Palestinians out of Gaza over concerns that the area is uninhabitable.