President Donald Trump has made an extraordinary proposal for the United States to "take over" the Gaza Strip. This proposal comes as he hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crucial talks on the truce with Hamas.
While speaking during a joint press conference with the Israel PM, Trump said, “...The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site and getting rid of the destroyed buildings.”
His proposal also included plans for economic development that would provide unlimited jobs and housing for the local population.
Further adding, he said, “I'm hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all. With the same goal in mind, my administration has been moving quickly to restore trust in the alliance and rebuild American strength throughout the region...”
But Trump appeared to suggest that it was not Palestinians who would return there. "It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there," he said. He said Gaza's two million inhabitants should instead "go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts."
He called on for Palestinians to leave the war-torn region and move to neighboring Middle Eastern countries like Egypt and Jordan. On this, both Egypt and Jordan have firmly rejected Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
During the conference, Netanyahu hailed Trump as the "greatest friend Israel has ever had." He said the US president's Gaza plan could "change history" and was worth "paying attention to."
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said “For those who want to send the Palestinian people to a ‘nice place’, allow them to go back to their original homes in what is now Israel…the Palestinian people want to rebuild Gaza because this is where we belong.”
Meanwhile, Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people on Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory response has killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers these figures as reliable.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.