Trump says he wants to ‘clean out’ Gaza Strip

United States President Donald Trump said late Saturday he would like to “just clean out” the Gaza Strip, with the population moving to other countries in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from Gaza.

“You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump said, according to media reports.

“Something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished and people are dying there … So I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change,” Trump said.

Trump told reporters he’d spoken to King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday. “I said to him, ‘I’d love for you to take on more because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess,’” Trump said. He added that he would be speaking with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday.

Trump also said he released his predecessor’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, a move by the Biden administration to reduce civilian casualties during Israel’s war with Hamas, which is now halted by a tenuous cease-fire.

“We released them today,” Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time.”

Meanwhile, Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza Strip on Sunday as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile cease-fire by changing the order of hostages it has released, the Associated Press reported. Local health officials said Israeli forces fired on the crowds, killing two people and wounding nine, according to the report.