President Donald Trump‘s recent suggestion that the United States could take over Gaza stands in strong contrast to the ideas and strategies laid out by those he has chosen to lead the Department of Defense.

While the president maintained on Thursday that no U.S. troops would be involved in this reconstruction effort, it’s unclear who exactly would work on clearing the rubble, surveying the land, and rebuilding the infrastructure — or who will keep them safe. Hamas, the terrorist group that brought on the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel, would almost certainly try to resist the effort.