Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel will hand over the Gaza Strip to the United States after the fighting ends and that American troops will not be needed in the area.
“The Gaza Strip will be handed over to the United States by Israel after the end of hostilities. The Palestinians… will have already been relocated to much safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the area,” Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform, continuing his controversial statements about the future of Gaza this week. “No troops will be needed from the United States,” he concluded.
The relocation of Gaza residents "will be temporary," Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier assured, but the US president made no such reference in his post.
On a trip to Guatemala, Rubio said Trump’s proposal was not “hostile” but a “generous gesture” that showed “the willingness of the United States to take responsibility for rebuilding this area.” He said the idea was for Gazans to leave the area for a “temporary” period while the rubble was cleared and reconstruction took place.
Rubio's comments came after Trump tabled a proposal that the US could "occupy" Gaza and resettle the millions of Palestinians living there - an idea that has drawn criticism from the UN, European states, human rights groups and Arab leaders.
For her part, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt further clarified Trump's comments, saying that the US was not planning to send military forces to the enclave.
Source: protothema.gr
