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Trump says US would make Gaza a "zone of freedom"

Politiko 2025-05-15 21:15:08

Trump says US would make Gaza a "zone of freedom"

US President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to take control of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, saying at a roundtable in Qatar that the US would "make it a zone of freedom". He added that there is nothing left to escape on Palestinian soil.

Trump first mentioned the idea of Gaza in February, when he said the US would rebuild it and force the Palestinians to go nowhere. His plan was widely condemned, and Palestinians, Arab countries and the United Nations said such a thing would amount to ethnic cleansing.

Most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million is internally displaced as a result of Israel's war, which has killed nearly 53,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Hamas is declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Speaking to a group of officials and businessmen in Qatar, Trump said: "I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good: to make it a zone of freedom, you have to allow the United States to get involved."

Trump said he had seen "aerial views where, I mean, there are almost no buildings standing. It's not that you can try to save something. There are no buildings. People are living under the rubble of collapsed buildings, which is unacceptable."

"I want it (Gaza) to become a zone of freedom. And, if necessary, I think I would be proud for the United States to have it, take it, and make it a zone of freedom," he added.

Trump has previously said he wants to turn Gaza into the "Middle Eastern Riviera".

The Palestinians strongly oppose any plan that implies their withdrawal from Gaza, comparing the idea to the 1948 "Nakba," or "catastrophe," when hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes during the war that led to the creation of Israel. Many of them say that they would previously prefer to live in the ruins of their homes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Trump's idea as a "bold vision" and said he and the US president have discussed which countries might be willing to accept Palestinians fleeing Gaza./REL

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