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By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump announced he wants the United States to "take over" the Gaza Strip and "own it," during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
Trump said that the U.S. will "be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and all of the other weapons on the site."
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Why It Matters
Trump has doubled down on his proposals to "clean out" Gaza and shift its entire Palestinian population into neighboring Jordan and Egypt, despite strong resistance from Palestinians, much of the Middle East, and U.S. Democrats.
Earlier this afternoon, the president branded the area a "demolition site" and claimed Palestinians would be "thrilled" to get displaced from their homes.
"The Gaza thing has not worked, it's never worked," he said.
There are already more than 2.39 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, according to the U.N. Israeli officials support the proposal, and have made similar suggestions in the past.
The proposal has been met with strong backlash by Jordan and Egypt, as well as most of the Arab world. Palestinian groups and international organizations have long condemned the proposals as forced displacement, and on Saturday, a group of Arab nations—including Egypt and Jordan—uniformly rejected Trump's proposal. The countries along with organizations issued a joint statement formally opposing it.
"We affirm our rejection of [any attempts] to compromise Palestinians' unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or annex of land or through vacating the land from its owners ... in any form or under any circumstances or justifications," the statement said, according to Al Jazeera.
Gaza has been devastated by the war between Israel and Hamas following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Israel has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. At least 1.9 million people have been internally displaced by Israeli bombardments, according to the U.N. A ceasefire has been in place since January 19.
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What To Know
Trump said after his meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday, that he was ready to "do what is necessary" as far as Gaza's concerned.
"We're going to take over that piece, we're going to develop it, create thousands of thousands of jobs. And it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of," he said.
When a reporter pointed out that Trump was talking about taking over a sovereign territory, the president claimed that everyone he'd spoken to "loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land."
Trump added that he saw the U.S taking a "long-term ownership position" which he believes will bring "stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East."
"This was not a decision made lightly," he said. "Everybody I've spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent and a really magnificent area that nobody would know.
"Nobody could look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble and demolished buildings falling all over it."
Netanyahu welcomed the announcement, calling it, "something that could change history and it's worthwhile really pursuing this area."
Earlier this afternoon, Trump told reporters, at a White House press conference, that he was "confident" he could get Jordan and Egypt to accept Palestinian refugees if they were forced to leave the Gaza Strip, pointing to similar successes he's had in pressuring Venezuela to accept deportations, and regarding Panama, which failed to renew a contract with China.
The confidence extends to the $1 billion aid package he is sending to Israel, which includes armored bulldozers used by military engineering, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The president claimed Tuesday that Gaza is "unsafe, it's unsanitary, it's not a place anybody wants to live. I don't know how they could want to stay, it's a demolition site. A pure demolition site," he added at the White House news conference.
He said that Palestinians "have no alternative right now."
"I would think if they had an option of moving, with either in a large group or in smaller groups, I would think they'd be thrilled. When you say about the Gaza Strip, they don't have an option. I think they'd love to leave Gaza if they had that option."
Trump said that the United States would not be financially supporting Jordan and Egypt in taking in Palestinian refugees, but said that money could come from other Arab nations.
Palestinians have warned that their forced displacement "is a violation of human rights and leads to further escalation and conflict."
Faisal Aranki, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, told Newsweek, "On the one hand, some see it as an immoral step that exposes Palestinians to additional suffering, especially since the forced displacement of people is a violation of human rights and leads to further escalation and conflict.
"On the other hand, some may see it as part of an attempt to find a long-term solution to the Palestinian issue," he continued, "but there are always concerns that such solutions marginalize the basic rights of Palestinians to return and live in dignity on their land."
Trump was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon at the White House.
"It'd be great if we could have a Middle East and maybe a world at total peace," Trump said.
What People Are Saying
Rep. Eric Swalwell, said in a post on X,, "Wait what? The U.S. is going to occupy Gaza? We were promised no more endless wars. By my count we are occupying Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and now..Gaza?"
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said last week during a news conference: "The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state. The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No."
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, during a news conference on January 26: "No to displacement. Not only because it is a fixed historical Jordanian national position, but also because any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land will only contribute to undermining security and stability, will not achieve peace, and will not bring security."
Aranki also told Newsweek: "Ultimately, any proposal related to the Palestinian issue must take into account human rights and justice, rather than focusing on short-term solutions that may exacerbate the situation in the region."
Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch executive director, wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Trump seems to endorse the far-right Israeli plan to 'solve' the problem of Hamas by expelling all Palestinians from Gaza -- the massive war crime of forced deportation. If done with U.S. weapons, Trump could be charged with aiding and abetting them."
What Happens Next
Trump has not given a timeline of when the United States would take over Gaza or begin the relocation of Palestinians.
Update: 2/4/25, 7:41 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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