Trump declares US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip, sparking widespread criticism – live

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip were ‘ridiculous’ and ‘absurd’.

“Trump’s remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

In the first phase of the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza have been able to return home in recent weeks, many to buildings and homes now in ruins.

A UN damage assessment released last month showed that clearing more than 50 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion, Reuters reports.

The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely holds human remains. The Palestinian health ministry estimates that 10,000 bodies are missing under the debris.

A United Nations Development Programme official said in January that development in Gaza has been set back by 69 years as a result of the conflict.

How long would it take to rebuild Gaza?

Rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes will take at least until 2040, but could drag on for many decades, according to a UN report released last year.

Two-thirds of Gaza’s pre-war structures – over 170,000 buildings – have been damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data (UNOSAT) in December. That amounts to around 69% of the total structures in the Gaza Strip.

What is the extent of infrastructure damage?

The estimated damage to infrastructure totalled $18.5 billion as of end-January 2024, affecting residential buildings, commerce, industry, and essential services such as education, health, and energy, a UN-World Bank report said. An update by the UN humanitarian office in January showed that less than a quarter of the pre-war water supplies were available, while at least 68% of the road network has been damaged.

Palestinian data shows that the conflict has led to the destruction of over 200 government facilities, 136 schools and universities, 823 mosques and three churches. Many hospitals have been damaged during the conflict, with only 17 out of 36 units partially functional as of January, the UN humanitarian office’s report showed.

“Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas,” Rubio wrote in a post on X, “As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the White House as US president Donald Trump met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The demonstrations occurred as Trump delivered his shock proposal to “take ownership” of Gaza, suggesting it had the potential to become the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Among those protesting were anti-Zionist orthodox Jews.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff previously told Axios that Gaza will probably be uninhabitable for 10-15 years.

“What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza,” Witkoff told Axios after returning from his recent trip to the Middle East.

“People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave … there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” he said.

Witkoff, a real estate developer, described what he saw from a helicopter flight over Gaza.

“There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years,” he told Axios, “But its impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan,” he said.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in the Middle East after US president Donald Trump outlined an extraordinary proposal for the US to take “ownership” of Gaza.

In a joint press conference, Trump and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed reporters at the White House, where the US president announced his intention to take over the Gaza Strip, move Palestinians to neighbouring countries and redevelop the territory for occupation by “the world’s people”.

If you are just catching up with the latest, here is what you need to know:

• Trump said the US will “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip. The US president said he envisioned a “long-term” US ownership of the territory after all Palestinians were moved elsewhere. He did not explain how and under what authority the US can take over the land of Gaza. “We will own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” he said. He said the US would “level” destroyed buildings and “create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”

• The Saudi government, in a statement, stressed its rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians from their land and said it would not establish relations with Israel without establishment of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile Hamas condemned Trump’s calls for Palestinians in Gaza to leave as “expulsion from their land”. The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said that world leaders and people should respect Palestinians’ desire to remain in Gaza.

• Several Democrats slammed Trump’s plan with Democratic senator Chris Murphy saying of Trump: “He’s totally lost it.” “A US invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of US troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke.” Democratic representative Jake Auchincloss described the proposal as “reckless and unreasonable” and called for an examination of Trump’s motives, which he said often contained a “nepotistic, self-serving connection”.

• Some Republicans have derided the proposal. Justin Amash, a former Republican member of Congress whose father was expelled from his home by Israeli forces in 1948, was appalled. “If the United States deploys troops to forcibly remove Muslims and Christians – like my cousins – from Gaza, then not only will the US be mired in another reckless occupation but it will also be guilty of the crime of ethnic cleansing. No American of good conscience should stand for this.”

• The US president called Gaza a “symbol of death and destruction” and that the only reason people want to go back there is because they have nowhere else to go. The 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza should move to neighbouring countries with “humanitarian hearts” and “great wealth”, Trump said. Earlier he had called for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Palestinians. He said they could be split up across a number of separate sites. Forced displacement of the population would probably be a violation of international law and would be fiercely opposed not only in the region but also by Washington’s western allies. Some human rights advocates liken the idea to ethnic cleansing.

• He went on to say that Gaza could become “the Riviera of the Middle East” where “the world’s people” could live there, echoing the previous sentiments of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who said Gaza had very valuable “waterfront property”.

• Trump gave a vague answer when asked a question on whether he supported a two-state solution. Asked if his view that Palestinians should be relocated from Gaza was a sign that he was against the two-state policy that has been the foreign policy approach of the United States for decades, Trump said no. “It doesn’t mean anything about a two-state or one state or any other state. It means that we want to have, we want to give people a chance at life,” he said. “They have never had a chance at life because the Gaza Strip has been a hellhole for people living there. It’s been horrible.”

• Trump claimed high-level support among unnamed leaders he had spoken to. “This is not a decision made lightly,” he said, adding that “everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land.” He said the move would bring “great stability to that part of the Middle East”.

• Trump did not rule out sending US troops to secure Gaza. “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” he said. On Trump’s idea of taking over Gaza, Netanyahu said the US president “sees a different future for Gaza”, adding: “I think it’s something that could change history.”

• Trump said he would probably announce a position on Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank in the next month. “We haven’t been taking the position on it yet,” he said. Trump added that he planned to visit the Gaza Strip, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

• Netanyahu described Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House”. The Israeli leader said “we have to finish the job in Gaza”, and said “Israel will end the war by winning the war.” Netanyahu praised Trump for “thinking outside the box with fresh ideas” and “showing willingness to puncture conventional thinking”.