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By Jordan King and Shane Croucher
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Donald Trump repeated a proposal for the United States to take control of Gaza, saying he would make it a "freedom zone".
The president repeated his proposal for America to take over the enclave while speaking at a business roundtable in Doha with top Qatari officials on Thursday.
What To Know
Trump said: "If it's necessary, I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone. Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with.
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"We're working very hard on Gaza, and Gaza's been a territory of death and destruction for many years," he continued. "And you know, I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good: make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone, have a real freedom zone."
Wednesday saw Israeli military strikes kill at least 70 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, according to Hamas-run health authorities.
The attacks came as Israel's delegation was in Doha for indirect ceasefire talks with mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Trump is currently on a Middle East trip, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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What To Know
Trump has floated this idea before, in February, when he said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States wants to "take over" the Gaza Strip.
He said at the time: "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and all of the other weapons on the site.
"We're going to take over that piece and develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle East can be proud of."
Trump has not elaborated on what legal framework would allow America to push out the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians remaining in Gaza, but he said he believes Egypt and Jordan will agree to take in Palestinians, which both countries have dismissed.
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What People Are Saying
Trump said in Doha: "They've never solved the Gaza problem and if you look at it, I have aerial shots, I mean there's practically no building standing, there's no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable, it's tremendous death. And I want to see that be a freedom zone."
Riyad Mansour, UN envoy for Palestine said in February: "Our homeland is our homeland, if part of it is destroyed, the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people selected the choice to return to it."
What Happens Next
The results of ceasefire negotiations remain to be seen. Meanwhile, Trump's Middle East visit, and his renewed engagement with these countries mark a pivotal moment in reshaping U.S.-Arab relations.
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