On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump restated his idea of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to “safer” areas such as Egypt or Jordan, while announcing plans to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington “very soon.”

The suggestion, first floated by Trump on Saturday, followed more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas that has left Gaza in ruins. Trump described the territory as a “demolition site” and expressed his desire to “clean out” the region.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I’d like to see them living in an area where they can exist without constant disruption, revolution, and violence.” He added, “The Gaza Strip has been hell for so many years… always marked by violence.”

When asked about implications for a two-state solution, Trump confirmed his upcoming meeting with Netanyahu, saying, “He’s coming here to meet with me in the not-too-distant future.”

Trump also disclosed recent discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, both of whom have historically opposed displacing Palestinians. “I wish he [al-Sisi] would take some,” Trump remarked, referencing U.S. aid to Egypt. “We’ve helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us.” He added that both Egypt and Jordan could potentially accommodate displaced Palestinians, despite the region's complexities.

The ongoing war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents. A ceasefire currently in place is expected to last six weeks, allowing the exchange of hostages and prisoners, with 33 hostages held in Gaza released in return for around 1,900 Palestinian detainees.

Negotiations are underway for a second phase aimed at ending the conflict, recovering the bodies of deceased hostages, and initiating Gaza’s reconstruction.

While the Biden administration had outlined post-war plans for Gaza, Trump has yet to acknowledge or discuss those proposals.

Channelstv