 "Meet the creator of Trump’s controversial AI Gaza video")
Last week, US President Donald Trump outlined his vision for the Gaza Strip in an AI-created video shared on his Truth Social platform.
The shocking clip received massive criticism, even from his supporters, who called it “disgusting.”
Now, the creator of the viral video has opened up about the backlash, saying the clip was intended solely as political satire and that they never meant to become a “propaganda machine."
Los Angeles-based filmmaker Solo Avital said he created the video while experimenting with AI tools in early February and that its virality had “surprised the hell out” of him.
The creators of the Trump-Gaza AI video
Filmmaker Solo Avital is an Israeli-born US citizen who runs EyeMix, a visual company that produces documentaries and commercials.
He created the AI video in less than eight hours while experimenting with the Arcana AI platform.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said, “We are storytellers, we’re not provocateurs, we sometimes do satire pieces such as this one was supposed to be. This is the duality of the satire: it depends what context you bring to it to make the punchline or the joke. Here, there was no context and it was posted without our consent or knowledge.”
He revealed he decided to create “satire about this megalomaniac idea about putting statues (in Gaza)” to see what the AI tool could do.
He shared the video clips with his friends, and Ariel Vromen, his business partner, uploaded the video to Instagram before Avital persuaded him to remove it because “it might be a little insensitive” and “we do not want to take sides.”
The Guardian claims that the two shared an early version with Mel Gibson, Trump’s choice for special ambassador to Hollywood and the previous collaborator of EyeMix and Arcana.
According to the creators, Gibson denied sharing the Gaza video with Trump but admitted to sharing another video about Los Angeles fires with Trump’s close associates.
It was not until he woke up to thousands of messages on his phone from friends alerting him to Trump’s post that Avital realised the video had reached wider people.
Avital said he was surprised by some of the reactions to the video. “If it was the skit for Saturday Night Live the whole perception of this in the media would be the opposite – look how wild this president is and his ideas, everyone would think it’s a joke.”
He also spoke to NBC News and said that they never meant to become a ‘propaganda machine’.
“You look at Trump Gaza, and you’re like, ‘Hey, gazillion times better than what it is right now, whether it’s good or bad,’” he told the channel, adding, “With humor, there is truth, you know, but it was not our intention to be a propaganda machine.”
Avital also acknowledged that a part in the widely mocked video with the bearded Palestinian dancers was “a disrespectful portrayal.” He asserted that it was meant as satire directed at Hamas, citing Israel’s accusations against the group for its treatment of Israeli hostages who had died.
The White House has not yet responded to the recent claims.
The controversial video
The 33-second satirical and illustrative clip, titled Gaza 2025… what’s next? was shared by Trump on February 26.
The video starts with the current state of Gaza, which is devastated and in ruins after being extensively bombarded by Israeli jets during the October 7, 2023, raid. It depicts Palestinian children crossing debris in Gaza while barefoot.
As the kids approach a skyline of skyscrapers lining Gaza’s coast, a title card asks, “What’s next?” Yachts are parked there, and sports cars are on the streets. Additionally, it has a skyscraper that is modelled after the famous Empire State Building.
A voice in the background sings, “Donald’s coming to set you free. Trump Gaza shining bright. Golden future, a brand-new light. Feast and dance. The deed is done,” as you see a young child holding a golden balloon in the shape of Trump’s head on the screen along with belly dancers wearing bikinis and bearded faces.
Furthermore, the video shows billionaire Musk eating and dancing on a beach while showered by US dollars. In the centre of the city, a “Trump Gaza” board and a massive dictator-style statue of the president seem to show who is in power. Adding to this exhibition of authority is a store that sells Trump miniatures as souvenirs.
The final scene of the video shows Trump without a shirt, enjoying cocktails on a beach with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump’s Gaza plan
The video was released just weeks after the US president laid out a plan for Gaza’s development that calls for the expulsion of 2.1 million Palestinians and the creation of a US-owned “Riviera.”
The plan has the potential to transform Gaza, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has referred to it as innovative. He did, however, say that should the displaced Gazans wish to return, they had to “disavow terrorism.” He stated that the primary obstacle is identifying a nation that will accommodate Gazans and proposed the creation of a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia.
Human rights organisations, the UN, and even some have called the plan ethnic cleansing.
The White House, however, reaffirmed the president’s earlier remarks when questioned about the video and his messaging.
“As President Trump has said, Gaza in its current state is (uninhabitable) for any human being,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly had said in the statement to NPR, adding, “President Trump is a visionary, and his plan to have the United States involved in Gaza’s rebuilding will allow for Palestinians to resettle in new, beautiful communities while improving conditions in the region for generations to come.”
With inputs from agencies
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