Less than a week after he floated his plan for the US to take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East”, Trump, in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on Monday, said "No, they wouldn't" when asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory.
After Trump’s initial comments last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and secretary of state Marco Rubio said Trump only wanted Palestinians relocated from Gaza “temporarily” and for an “interim” period to allow for debris removal, the disposal of unexploded ordnance and reconstruction.
A precarious ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be cancelled if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza by midday on Saturday, US President Donald Trump has said.
Trump last week did not rule out deploying US troops to help secure the territory but at the same time said no US funds would go to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, raising fundamental questions about the nature of his plan.
The announcement came as Palestinians and the international community seethed over Trump’s comments in an interview with Fox News Channel that Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for US “ownership” of the war-torn territory.
