Trump doubles down on permanently moving 1.5 million people out of Gaza because it is a ‘demolition site’

President Donald Trump went further with his plans for Gaza on Tuesday when he said that Palestinians should be ‘permanently’ resettled elsewhere.

Trump made the explosive comments as he sat alongside a beaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House.  

‘I don’t think people should be going back,’ Trump said. “You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location. 

‘I think it should be a location that’s going to make people happy.’

The comments will infuriate Palestinians who have long feared that Israel was seeking to take their land. 

They have lived under an economic blockade and more than a year of military bombardment, leaving the territory resembling a ‘demolition site,’ as Trump put it.

Netanyahu is visiting to plan for the next stage of talks with Hamas, negotiations which plan for three to five years of reconstruction. 

American officials have already made clear that they see that timeline as unviable. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump at the White House since he was sworn in for a second term

American officials say it will take longer than the three to five years envisaged in existing peace talks to rebuild Gaza, which has been flattened by Israeli strikes

American officials say it will take longer than the three to five years envisaged in existing peace talks to rebuild Gaza, which has been flattened by Israeli strikes

Palestinians walk on the rubble of destroyed houses, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025

Palestinians walk on the rubble of destroyed houses, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025

Against that backdrop, Trump upended the Middle East 10 days by floating the idea of moving the territory’s population to Egypt and Jordan, in answer to DailyMail.com question.

Both countries have rejected the idea. 

But the former property developer, who sees the world in terms of deals, insisted that other nations would step up. 

‘You look over the decades, it’s all death in Gaza,’ he said. 

‘This has been happening for years. It’s all death. 

‘If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.’

Earlier Trump’s national security adviser told reporters that Trump viewed the issue as a humanitarian one.

‘You have these people that are sitting with literally thousands of unexploded ordinance and piles of rubble,’ said Mike Waltz. 

‘At some point, we have to look realistically, how do you rebuild Gaza? What does that look like? What is the timeline? 

Trump welcomes Netanyahu to Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon

Trump welcomes Netanyahu to Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon

‘A lot of people were looking at very unrealistic timelines. We’re talking 10 to 15 years.’

It was all smiles between Trump and Netanyahu on Tuesday, but there has been tension in their relationship.

Trump complained during his first term that the Israeli leader let him down just before the US killed a top Iranian general in 2020, dropping out of the operation at the 11th hour.

And he was furious that Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden on winning the 2020 election.

But Netanyahu, who has lost support at home and who has been indicted at the International Criminal Court, badly needs Trump now to help shore up his position. 

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk