Donald Trump has doubled down on his plan to take control of Gaza, saying he is committed to buying and owning the war-ravaged land but could allow sections of it to be rebuilt by other states in the Middle East.
Speaking onboard Air Force One on his way to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the US president told journalists: “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza.
“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.”
He added: “There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished. Everything’s demolished.”
Mr Trump claimed Arab nations would agree to take in Palestinians after speaking with him and insisted Palestinians would leave Gaza if they had a choice.
“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.
‘Gaza is not a property to be sold’
A member of the Hamas political bureau, Ezzat El Rashq, was quick to condemn Mr Trump’s latest remarks.
“Gaza is not a property to be sold and bought. It is an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land,” he said in a statement, adding that Palestinians will foil all displacement plans.
Shortly after being sworn-in for a second presidential term on 20 January, Mr Trump floated the idea of the US
taking over Gaza and engaging in a huge rebuilding effort.
On Wednesday, the president elaborated on his plans, saying his country could turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while the enclave’s population of two million are resettled in countries such as Egypt and Jordan.
On Friday, Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said he had contacted Arab partners including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to bolster the region’s rejection of any displacement of Palestinians.
He said they had emphasised “the constants of the Arab position on the Palestinian cause, rejecting any measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian people from their land, or encouraging their transfer to other countries outside the Palestinian territories”.
‘Flagrant violation of international law’
Arab nations want a two-state solution which would see a separate Palestinian homeland exist alongside the state of Israel.
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Displacing Palestinians would be a “flagrant violation of international law, an infringement on Palestinian rights, a threat to security and stability in the region and an undermining of opportunities for peace and coexistence among its peoples”, a statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Instead, Egypt and other Arab nations were looking at how to rebuild and clean up Gaza after Israel’s military campaign, which has devastated much of the territory in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
The attack saw around 1,200 Israelis massacred and around 250 people taken hostage.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The diplomatic spat comes as three Israeli hostages, who appeared thin and frail, were released by Hamas in return for 183 Palestinian prisoners.