[user104658]

This has nowt to do with Hamas or even Israel - a large enclave/colony (essentially) right on the edge of the Mediterranean as a gateway to the Middle East is a dream come true for the US. Just look at it on a map. You couldn't design a more blatant foothold.

I would also caution that Israel should be VERY wary of this -- if the US was to officially take and hold Gaza as territory, it massively impacts/limits what has traditionally been a very significant "strategic usefulness" of Israel itself. They don't need a proxy (ahem, excuse me, "a very close military and strategic partnership") if they can permanently hold a large military presence in Gaza on "their own" land.