Trump vows to ‘take over Gaza Strip’ & ‘level it’ before redeveloping as Netanyahu says Don’s plan will ‘change history’
Trump vows to ‘take over Gaza Strip’ & ‘level it’ before redeveloping as Netanyahu says Don’s plan will ‘change history’
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PRESIDENT Donald Trump has vowed to take over the devastated Gaza Strip and "level" the site before looking to redevelop it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Republican's clear plan to help rebuild the war-torn strip saying it will "change history". Trump said America "will do a job with it" if they own the Gaza Strip and take full responsibility to dismantle it safely after years of torment for the people of Palestine.
![[U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/e0e4720d-50e9-4770-a8df-883f906f9592.jpg?strip=all&w=834)
He added it is a "very dangerous place to be" at the moment and requires America's help to rebuild completely. Trumps Middle East envoy said they plan on creating a three to five-year timeline for the reconstruction of Gaza. Detailed plans are yet to be revealed over the potential demolition plot but the newly-inaugurated President said it will involve a complete reconstruction. He said they would destroy all of the buildings in the war zone before beginning to "create an economic development".
![[President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/Trump_Netanyahu_81939-58c6fjpg-JS969254011.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
This would create "unlimited numbers of jobs and housing", he added. Trump then urged as many countries as possible to take in the displaced Palestinians so the upheaval of Gaza could be completed peacefully. The remarks were made in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from The White House. A smiling Netanyahu described Trump as the "greatest friend Israel has ever had".
![[US President Donald Trump greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/NEW_2197131182jpg-JS969230283.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Trump added he has spoken to dozens of people who "love the idea" of the US taking over the strip. Last week, Trump revealed radical plans to "clean out" the strip after he described Gaza as a "demolition site". He said: "You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. "Almost everything is demolished and people are dying there.". At the end of January, Trump called on neighbouring Arab nations to take in more Palestinians.
![[Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes in northern Gaza after a ceasefire.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/palestinians-displaced-south-israels-order-967093397_75af99.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He echoed these thoughts again today and said places like Egypt and Jordan should offer to take in as many people as possible. Gaza's two million inhabitants should instead "go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts", he said. Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned Trump's proposal last month. The pre-war population of Gaza was over two million people and over 45,000 people have been killed since October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations.
![[Illustration of a three-phase peace deal proposal for the Middle East, showing details of troop withdrawals, hostage releases, and border arrangements.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AP-16-01-israel-hamas-ceasefire-graphic-1.webp?strip=all&w=554)
