Donald Trump says US will 'take over' Gaza, Hamas calls his plan 'absurd'

Trump was quoted as saying by BBC: "The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site"

He further said: "Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."

"We'll do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to be the same way it has for 100 years," he said.

Speaking on the authority of removing 1.8 million people from Gaza, Trump, whose inauguration took place on January 20, said: "I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East, and everybody I've spoken to, this was not a decision made lightly."

He said the US would create jobs after taking over the area.

He made the comments during a joint press conference with visiting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hamas calls his plan ridiculous

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri described Trump's plan as 'ridiculous'.

"Trump’s remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region,” Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

“We consider them [the plan] a recipe for generating chaos and tension in the region because the people of Gaza will not allow such plans to pass," he said.

Saudi Arabia rejects plan

Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the US, rejected Trump's plan and said in a statement as quoted by Al Jazeera: " Saudi Arabia also reiterates its previously announced unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, the annexation of Palestinian lands, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land."

US Senator Chris Murphy also slammed Trump and posted on X: " He’s totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke."

Trump made the remark when Israel and Hamas are observing a 42-day truce since January 19.

Several hostages and a large number of people have been released and exchanged so far.

War began in Gaza Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.