US President Donald Trump reiterated his plan on Sunday for the United States to take control of Gaza, describing the war-torn enclave as a “big real estate site” and suggesting that Arab nations would absorb displaced Palestinians.
“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Super Bowl, as per AP.
“As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it. Other people may do it through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished”, Trump said.
US President added that Palestinians would not want to return to Gaza if given an alternative. “They don’t want to return to Gaza. If we could give them a home in a safer area – the only reason they’re talking about returning to Gaza is they don’t have an alternative. When they have an alternative, they don’t want to return to Gaza,” he said.
“I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people, the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza, to go back yet another time, and we don’t want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site and the United States is going to own it and we’ll slowly, very slowly, we’re in no rush, develop it. We’re going to bring stability to the Middle East soon,” Trump told reporters.
Netanyahu calls Trump’s plan ‘revolutionary’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently met with Trump, called the proposal a “revolutionary, creative vision,” saying it could reshape the future of the region. “For a whole year, we’ve been told that in the ‘day after,’ we need the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu told his cabinet, per CNN.
“President Trump came with a completely different vision, much better for the state of Israel”, he added.
However, Trump’s remarks have drawn strong regional backlash. Hamas official Izzat Al-Rishq dismissed the idea, saying, “Gaza is not a property that can be bought and sold, and it is an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land.”
Arab nations reject Trump’s plan
Saudi Arabia had condemned Netanyahu’s suggestion that Palestinians could be resettled elsewhere, calling it a distraction from Israel’s actions in Gaza. Qatar also denounced the idea as “provocative” and a violation of international law.
Egypt has announced an emergency Arab summit on February 27 to discuss the “new and dangerous developments.” Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdullah II is expected to raise concerns over Trump’s plan when he meets the US president at the White House this week.
Trump also expressed frustration over the condition of Israeli hostages released by Hamas. “I watched the hostages come back today and they looked like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated”, ” he said, as per AP.
As negotiations continue, Israel has pulled back troops from a Gaza corridor, signalling a commitment to a fragile ceasefire. However, talks on the second phase of the truce—which could see more hostages released and a full Israeli withdrawal—have stalled. Netanyahu sent a delegation to Qatar, but its low-ranking officials have raised doubts about the seriousness of negotiations.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, suggested the president’s remarks were meant to push for a broader regional solution. “Come to the table with your plan if you don’t like his plan,” Waltz said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
