White House backtracks on Gaza displacement plan amid global criticism
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt faced questions from reporters a day after Trump unveiled a plan for the US to take over Gaza and indicated he is willing to send US forces there.
Asked repeatedly whether that meant US troops might be deployed in a war against Hamas, Leavitt said: “The president has not committed to that yet.”
“The president is prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians and all people in the region, peace-loving people, who want real economic development and opportunity in the region,” she said.
That's not what Trump said:
“Being in its presence just has not been good and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there. Instead, we should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and frankly bad luck.
“This can be paid for by neighbouring countries of great wealth. It could be one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, 12. It could be numerous sites, or it could be one large site. But the people will be able to live in comfort and peace and we’ll make sure something really spectacular is done.
More on Secretary of State Rubio’s softening of Gaza plan
As we reported earlier, the US Secretary of State described President Trump’s proposal as a unique offer to clear debris and destruction in Gaza.
“What he very generously has offered is the ability of the United States to go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with reconstruction, the rebuilding homes and businesses and things of this nature so that then people can move back in,” Rubio said at a news conference in Guatemala City.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” he added.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also backtracked on Trump’s initial suggestion the US would “own” Gaza, saying the president only wants Palestinians to be “temporarily relocated”.
According to Senator Josh Hawley, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff also told Republican senators at a closed-door lunch that Trump “doesn’t want to put any US troops on the ground, and he doesn’t want to spend any US dollars at all” on Gaza.
So how is Trump "prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians". The US contradicts itself even in there 'softening' attempts
Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza, Israel will hand Palestinian land over after war
US President Donald Trump has said that Israel would hand Gaza over to the United States once fighting in the besieged enclave ends, and that no US soldiers would be needed during the process.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,” he said in a Truth Social post, building on his controversial comments about Gaza’s future earlier this week.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed!”
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