- Trump has suggested resettling Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan
- He said Gaza is a “demolition site” and the move could be temporary or long term
- Critics likely to view it as an attempt to displace Palestinians
Trump Proposes Resettling Gazans in Egypt and Jordan, Calls to “Clean Out” Gaza
US President Donald Trump suggested a controversial plan on Saturday to “clean out” Gaza and resettle Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan as part of a broader Middle East peace effort. Describing Gaza as a “demolition site” following the Israel-Hamas war, Trump said he had discussed the idea with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and planned to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
“I’d like Egypt to take people. And I’d like Jordan to take people,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“You’re talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know, over the centuries it’s had many, many conflicts that site. And I don’t know, something has to happen.”
The war, which began after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million population, often multiple times. Trump suggested the resettlement could be “temporarily or could be long term,” adding that Gaza is “literally a demolition site right now.”
“It’s literally a demolition site right now, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there,” … “So I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Donald Trump
He proposed working with Arab nations to build housing in new locations where Gazans could “live in peace for a change.”
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich supported Trump’s idea, accusing Gazans of “glorifying terrorism” and calling the plan an opportunity for them to “start a better life” elsewhere.
The proposal comes as a fragile truce and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas enters its second week. The agreement, signed during former President Joe Biden’s administration, has been credited by Trump, who claims responsibility for its success.
The plan has sparked debate, with critics likely to view it as an attempt to displace Palestinians rather than address the root causes of the conflict.