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By Tom O'Connor and Ellie Cook
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Palestinian militant group Hamas has rejected proposals put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump to displace Gaza's population from the enclave, vowing the organization "will not allow these plans to pass."
The president said on Tuesday that Gazan residents would have "no choice but to leave" the territory. He has previously pressed neighboring Egypt and Jordan to take in the strip's roughly 2 million inhabitants. This was rejected by Cairo and Amman, and sharply criticized by several other Arab countries.
Speaking separately in a press conference in the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the U.S. would "take over" control of the Gaza Strip—a somewhat-astonishing announcement that has not previously been seriously discussed.
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Gaza has been largely destroyed by persistent Israeli bombing campaigns and ground assaults since Hamas, in control of Gaza since 2007, launched its October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. More than 1,200 people were killed in these attacks in Israel and another 250 taken hostage into Gaza, while Hamas-run health authorities say more than 47,500 people have been killed in the strip in Israeli operations.
The majority of Gaza's residents live in refugee camps, many displaced several times over the course of the war.
Trump said he envisioned what he deemed a "long-term ownership position," with Washington in control of the territory to steward the dismantling of bombs and confiscating of weapons.
He described Gaza as a "demolition site," adding: "If we could find the right piece of land or numerous pieces of land and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area.
"Everybody I've spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs," the president said, to piece together a vision of what he dubbed the "Riviera of the Middle East."
"We reject Trump's statements," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement shared with Newsweek. "We consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.
"Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass, and what is required is to end the occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land," the Hamas official added.
Izzat al-Rishq, member of Hamas' political bureau, said in remarks reported by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency that Gaza's residents "are rooted in their land and will not accept any schemes aimed at uprooting them from their homeland."
"Our homeland is our homeland," said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations.
Territorial disputes between Israel and Palestinians have for decades defined conflict in the Middle East and kept peace in the region at arm's length.
"I think it's worth paying attention to this," Netanyahu said of Trump's remarks. "It's worthwhile really pursuing this avenue."
Israel reached a temporary ceasefire deal with Hamas for Gaza just days before Trump's inauguration last month. Negotiations in the Qatari capital city were stewarded by Doha, but heavily influenced by Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. The next stage of the deal remains murky.
Witkoff told Fox News on Tuesday that Gaza would likely be "uninhabitable" for more than a decade, and a "better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space that you're in today."
"A better life is about a better opportunity, better financial conditions, better aspirations for you and your family," Witkoff said. "That doesn't occur because you get to pitch a tent in the Gaza Strip. And you're surrounded by 30,000 munitions that could go off at any moment."
Saudi Arabia quickly reaffirmed its long-standing position that it would not set up diplomatic relations with Israel without a commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Riyadh said it reiterated its "unequivocal rejection" of attempts to "displace the Palestinian people from their land."
Trump's proclamation could jeopardize possible normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel—something observers believed Trump was keen to push as a main foreign policy goal in the coming months.
The president's remarks drew fierce condemnation from some. "He's totally lost it," Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said in a post to social media. "A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It's like a bad, sick joke."
Within the GOP, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham framed Trump's comments as an "interesting proposal," but noted with some apprehension that "most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza."
"It might be problematic," Graham said.
The U.S. is still haunted by the two decades American soldiers spent bogged down in Afghanistan, and how hard-line Islamist group the Taliban resurged to power as the U.S. withdrew in 2021. Trump did not elaborate on possible U.S. troop deployments to Gaza, only commenting that his administration would "do what is necessary."
Prominent far-right Israeli figures, such as former Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, appeared delighted with Trump's comments.
"I call on the Prime Minister to announce the adoption of the plan as soon as possible and to begin immediate practical progress," Ben-Gvir said in a statement. He resigned from Netanyahu's cabinet last month over the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Update 2/5/2025 at 3:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 2/5/2025 at 5 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 2/5/2025 at 6:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq.
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