President Trump has sparked controversy over comments he made about the future of Gaza at a press conference on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at the White House alongside Benjamin Netanyahu, the President proposed that the US should take a “long-term ownership” position over Gaza.
The plans have been widely rejected both in Palestine and internationally.
More: Trump’s suggestion US ‘take over’ Gaza rejected by allies and adversaries alike
US ‘take-over’ of Gaza
“The US will take over the Gaza strip and we will do a job with it too,” the President said.
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too." –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/aCqLl9Gwwn
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 5, 2025
Trump added that the US would “level it out” and “create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area”.
When asked if the US had the authority to take over Gaza, he did not directly respond, but said that he saw a “long-term ownership position”.
“I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” he said.
“Everybody I’ve spoken, and this was not a decision made lightly, loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know.”
‘Riviera of the Middle East’
President Trump suggested that the almost two million Palestinians living in Gaza should be moved to areas in “other countries of interest”, such as Egypt and Jordan, despite opposition from both.
He added that future inhabitants of the land would include Palestinians and “the world’s people”.
“I envision people living there, the world’s people. I think we’ll make that into an international unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable.
“I think the entire world, representatives from all over the world, will be there. Palestinians also will live there, many people will live there.
“I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, this could be something that could be so magnificent,” he added.
Response from Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas rejected Donald Trump’s proposal to take over the Gaza strip and said that “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable”.
“For those who want to send the Palestinian people to a ‘nice place’, allow them to go back to their original homes in what is now Israel…the Palestinian people want to rebuild Gaza because this is where we belong.” pic.twitter.com/T8i7ZwDhLQ
— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) February 4, 2025
“President Mahmud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland,” his office said in a statement.
Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged leaders to “respect the wishes of the Palestinian people” who want to return to their homes.
“Our homeland is our homeland,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri called the proposal “ridiculous and absurd”, with the group adding that the remarks will “pour fuel on the fire” in the region.
