The US should take control of the Gaza Strip, deal with Hamas, and turn it into a freedom zone, US President Donald Trump said Thursday in Qatar.
“If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” he said during a business roundtable.
“Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” Trump was quoted as saying.
“They’ve never solved the Gaza problem, and if you look at it, I have aerial shots,” he said. “I mean, there’s practically no building standing; there’s no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable. It’s a tremendous death. And I want to see that be a freedom zone.”
This is the first time Trump has made such statements to Arab leaders in a formal setting, notably while in a country that has played a primary role in mediating the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
Trump “possesses the necessary influence” to end the Gaza war and help establish a Palestinian state, Hamas official Basem Naim said, adding that “Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian land. It is not real estate for sale on the open market.”
Economic development in Gaza
In February, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting the White House, Trump suggested that the US take over Gaza. The US would create economic development that would supply an “unlimited number of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said.
“I do see [a] long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said at the time when asked if he sought a permanent occupation.
Netanyahu responded that Trump’s offer would support one of Israel’s main war goals: making sure Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.
In January, Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians to “clean out” Gaza.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” he said during a press conference on Air Force One. “I don’t know. Something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now.”
His comments sparked international debate, and world leaders in Europe and the Middle East condemned the idea.