Headline Roundup • February 5th, 2025
Trump Says US Could ‘Take Over’ Gaza, Make It Home for ‘World’s People’
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. will “take over” the Gaza Strip while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.
The Details: Trump suggested the U.S. would clean up and redevelop the land, which he described as a “hellhole,” after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. He said the U.S. could turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” as he tongue-in-cheekly described it, where the “world’s people,” including Palestinians, would live.
Key Quotes: Trump said, “I think you’ll make that into an international, unbelievable place… I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East… this could be so magnificent.” He also said, “You have to learn from history. You can't keep doing the same mistake over and over again. Gaza is a hellhole right now. It was before the bombing started, frankly. And we're gonna give people a chance to live in a beautiful community that’s safe and secure… I spoke to other leaders of countries in the Middle East, and they love the idea. They said it would bring stability.”
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum prominently included different context or analysis on the potential consequences of Trump’s statement.
- Al Jazeera (Lean Left bias) described Trump’s announcement as a “shock” and noted that Hamas “swiftly condemned the proposal.”
- The Hill (Center) noted that during his first term, Trump’s peace plan, developed by his real estate developer son-in-law Jared Kushner, envisioned developing Gaza’s coastline with luxury resorts.
- Washington Times (Lean Right) highlighted that Trump didn’t rule out the use of military force.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Evan Vucci/AP
United States President Donald Trump has said the US will “take over” and “own” Gaza after resettling Palestinians elsewhere under an extraordinary redevelopment plan that he claimed could turn the enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.
In a shock announcement upending decades of US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump said on Tuesday that his administration would spearhead development in the enclave to “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area”.
President Trump on Tuesday floated the idea of the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip, saying America should be responsible for clearing the territory of rubble and unexploded bombs and proposing an “economic development.”
Trump’s remarks are some of his most extreme rhetoric regarding the future of the territory where nearly 2 million Palestinians live and hope to be part of a future Palestinian state. Trump also suggested the U.S. would develop the land but gave no details on who would be allowed to live there.
The president said he envisioned Palestinians will...
President Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. could take over Gaza and remove Palestinians from the area without ruling out the possibility of sending American troops to the region, saying it could become “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
The president decried Gaza as a “hellhole,” saying it was that way before Israel began bombing the enclave following the Hamas terror attack Oct. 7, 2023.
But he pledged that under the “a long-term ownership position” by the U.S., the region could be turned into an economic powerhouse that would rival some of the world’s greatest entertainment resorts.
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