President Donald Trump on Friday described his plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza and have the US take ownership of the coastal enclave as a “real estate transaction”.
Speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, where he was meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Mr Trump added that there was “no rush to do anything”.
During a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US would take ownership of Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
He also said that the roughly two million Palestinians who live there would need to move out. At first he said they would need to leave indefinitely, but his administration has since indicated the move would be temporary.
“We don't want to see everybody move back and then move out in 10 years,” he said on Friday.
The plan has drawn intense opposition from Palestinians, Arab nations and many global leaders who say the idea of the forcible removal of a civilian population is a grave political and moral injustice. The UN said such a move would violate international law.
Mr Trump reiterated that no US troops would be needed on the ground and that Gaza would be “handed over” to the US from Israel. He also said the US would not be paying for the reconstruction itself.
“We won't need anybody; everything would be supplied and given to us by Israel,” he said. “They'll watch it in terms of security.”
He then repeated his claim that the move would advance peace in the region.
Mr Trump had initially suggested that Egypt and Jordan – two countries that have signed peace agreements with Israel – take displaced Palestinians. Both nations have unequivocally rejected the suggestion, and Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi are likely to raise the issue with Mr Trump during their upcoming respective visits to Washington.
The developments come nearly three weeks after a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement in Gaza took effect, ending more than 15 months of war.
The war was ignited on October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking scores of hostages. More than 47,500 Palestinians have been killed and most of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble.
Mr Trump has called Gaza a “demolition site” and estimated that it would take 10 to 15 years to rebuild.
