United States President Donald Trump proposed on Tuesday that displaced Palestinians in Gaza should be permanently relocated outside the war-torn territory, and said the US should take “ownership” in its redevelopment. Trump’s proposal is likely to disrupt the next phase of negotiations aimed at prolonging the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and facilitating the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.
According to a repprt by the Associated Press (AP), Trump’s controversial remarks surfaced as negotiations intensified this week that focused on increasing humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts to help people in Gaza rebuild after over 15 months of devastating conflict. Trump proposed relocating approximately 1.8 million residents from their homeland and gaining US control over the territory, potentially with the deployment of American troops.
Trump revealed his thoughts to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where the two leaders also discussed the fragile ceasefire and hostage deal in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. They also shared concerns about Iran.
BREAKING: President Trump just announced: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed… pic.twitter.com/dnoMKDSQFA
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 5, 2025
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You Can’t Live In Gaza Right Now: Donald Trump
Trump believes that a new location would the displaced people happy, “I don’t think people should be going back,” Trump said. “You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location. I think it should be a location that’s going to make people happy,” he was quoted by AP.
Trump stated that the US would assume control of the Gaza Strip and oversee its redevelopment after relocating Palestinians elsewhere, envisioning it as “the Riviera of the Middle East,” where people from around the world, including Palestinians, could reside. “We’ll make sure that it’s done world class,” Trump said. “It’ll be wonderful for the people — Palestinians, Palestinians mostly, we’re talking about,” AP reported.
Egypt, Jordan, and other US allies in the Middle East have warned Trump that relocating Palestinians from Gaza could destabilise the region, escalate the conflict, and jeopardise long-standing efforts toward a two-state solution. Despite these concerns, Trump maintains that Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave what he described as the “big pile of rubble” that is Gaza. His remarks come as top aides argue that the proposed three-to-five-year reconstruction timeline outlined in the temporary truce agreement is unrealistic.
Last week, Last week, both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah II dismissed Trump’s calls to resettle people from Gaza. However, Trump said he believed Egypt and Jordan — as well as other countries, which he did not name — will ultimately agree to take in Palestinians.
“You look over the decades, it’s all death in Gaza,” Trump said. “This has been happening for years. It’s all death. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.”
