Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday revived a controversial proposal to assume control of the Gaza Strip, telling a business roundtable in Qatar that the United States should “take it” and transform the devastated Palestinian enclave into a “freedom zone.”
“There’s practically no building standing,” Trump said, referencing aerial images of Gaza. “It’s not like you’re trying to save something. People are living under rubble, which is not acceptable. Let the United States have it. Make it a freedom zone. Let some good things happen.”
The comments, made in Doha, come as Gaza continues to endure a relentless Israeli military campaign that has killed nearly 53,000 Palestinians since the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks and left much of the enclave in ruins. More than 2 million residents are now internally displaced.
Trump initially floated his Gaza vision in February, proposing U.S.-led redevelopment and the forced relocation of Palestinians — a suggestion widely condemned by Arab states, the United Nations, and Palestinian leaders, who compared it to the 1948 Nakba.
While Palestinians firmly reject any plan involving displacement or foreign control, Trump appeared undeterred, reiterating an earlier idea of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Reacting to his comments, Hamas official Basem Naim said Trump “possesses the necessary influence” to help end the war and support Palestinian statehood. But he warned, “Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian land — it is not real estate for sale on the open market.”