Trump floats new Gaza plan: 'US will take over Strip, own it'

During the joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that the United States “will take over the Gaza Strip” and that all 2 million Palestinians living there should leave the enclave.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We will own it,” Trump said during the press conference with the Israeli PM.

"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

In a bizarre announcement, Trump emphasised that his administration would spearhead economic development that would “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area" and turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

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“This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing it, and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” Trump said.

Trump’s proposal for Egypt, Jordon to take Palestinian refugees

Earlier, Trump had suggested a relocation plan for Palestinians and proposed that Jordan and Egypt should take the Palestinian refugees. Both Jordan and Egypt rejected the idea. Palestinian leaders and various Arab nations condemned the plan, labelling it as an act of ethnic cleansing.

Netanyahu’s trip to Washington

Netanyahu is on a trip to Washington after the Gaza truce deal with the Palestinian armed group Hamas has come into effect.

This is the first meeting of a foreign leader with President Donald Trump since he assumed office for his second term.

Netanyahu is also scheduled to meet with US military leaders at the Pentagon and members of Congress.

Gaza  ceasefire

The Gaza ceasefire, which came into effect on January 19, has stopped the 15-month-long conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has allowed Palestinians to return to their homes in the northern part of the Strip.

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Hamas is set to release 33 Israeli prisoners in exchange for over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.