Trump: The U.S. Will Take Control of the Gaza Strip

"The U.S. will take control of the Gaza Strip, and we will work with it," said the head of the White House. "We will own it and will be responsible for dismantling all dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on site."

"If necessary, we will do it. We will take control of this area, develop it, and create thousands of jobs. It will be something the entire Middle East can be proud of," Trump added. When asked who would live there, the Republican responded that Gaza could become home to "people of peace" and the "Riviera of the Middle East."

"I truly see a long-term ownership situation and believe it will bring great stability to this part of the Middle East," Trump continued. "I have studied this issue very carefully for many months." When asked whether this meant deploying U.S. troops to Gaza, Trump replied, "We will do what is necessary."

"I love Israel. I will visit there, I will visit Gaza, I will visit Saudi Arabia and other places throughout the Middle East," the U.S. president promised.

Netanyahu responded positively to these remarks. According to the Israeli prime minister, Trump "thinks outside the box, with fresh ideas" and "demonstrates a willingness to break traditional thinking."

At the end of January, Trump had already called on Arab countries to accept more refugees from the Gaza Strip, stating that they should build housing for Palestinian Arabs outside of Gaza, "where they might be able to live in peace."

"I don’t think people should return," Trump said on February 5. "Right now, it’s impossible to live in Gaza. I think we need another place. I think it should be a place that makes people happy."

At a meeting in Cairo on February 1, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar rejected Trump's proposal that Gaza residents should be relocated to other Arab countries. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers opposed "displacement, encouragement of displacement, or expulsion of Palestinians from their lands."

Trump’s proposal has already drawn criticism from U.S. politicians. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy stated that the president had "gone insane."

"He’s completely lost his mind. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and decades of war in the Middle East. This sounds like a bad, sick joke," the senator wrote on the social media platform X.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, also expressed skepticism. "Let’s see what our Arab friends have to say about this," AP quoted him as saying. "I think most South Carolinians probably aren’t thrilled about sending Americans to seize Gaza. I think this could be problematic, but I’ll keep an open mind."