US leader rules out Palestinians' return to Gaza Strip

US President Donald Trump has expressed his commitment to "buying and owning" the Gaza Strip and relocating the two million Palestinians currently living there, despite widespread international backlash against his proposal unveiled last week.

He mentioned that he might allow countries in the Middle East to participate in rebuilding parts of Gaza and emphasized that Palestinian refugees would “live beautifully”, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

In response, both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, the militant group responsible for a prolonged war with Israel that has left Gaza devastated, reaffirmed that Palestinian land is "not for sale." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, hailed Trump's plan as "revolutionary and creative."

This announcement comes amidst a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, following Hamas's release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, after a brutal cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages being taken by Hamas.

According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, over 48,180 people have died in the region since the conflict began. The majority of Gaza's population has been displaced multiple times, and almost 70 per cent of buildings are believed to be damaged or destroyed. The healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene systems have collapsed, and there are significant shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter. 

President Trump reiterated his commitment to taking control of post-war Gaza while traveling to New Orleans on Air Force One to attend the Super Bowl.  

"I'm committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it. Other people may do it through our auspices. But we're committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn't move back," he said, without explaining who he would buy Gaza from and how the US would own it.  

"There's nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site... The remainder will be demolished," he added. "But we'll make it into a very good site for future development by somebody."  

Trump said people from all over the world would be able to move to Gaza and promised to "take care of the Palestinians".   "We're going to make sure they live beautifully and in harmony and peace and that they're not murdered." "They don't want to go back to Gaza. They only go back because they have no alternative," he added.  

The president reiterated his belief that he could convince neighbouring Egypt and Jordan to assist, despite their prior public refusals to accept refugees from Gaza. Jordan's King Abdullah is scheduled to meet Trump in Washington on February 11, while Israel's president mentioned that Trump will also have discussions with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the coming days. 

Just two weeks into his presidency, Trump upended decades of US policy with a vague announcement, proposing to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East." This vision comes after nearly 16 months of Israeli airstrikes that have ravaged the coastal region, resulting in over 47,000 deaths, according to Palestinian reports.

By Naila Huseynova