ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) 鈥� President said Saturday he鈥檇 like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip 鈥� potentially moving out enough of the population to 鈥渏ust clean out鈥� the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.
During a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump also said he's ended his predecessor鈥檚 hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That lifts a pressure point that had been meant to reduce civilian casualties during Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza that is now halted by a tenuous ceasefire.
鈥淲e released them today," Trump said of the bombs. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been waiting for them for a long time." Asked why he lifted the ban on those bombs, Trump responded, 鈥淏ecause they bought them.鈥�
On his larger vision for Gaza, Trump said he had call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President of Egypt.
鈥淚鈥檇 like Egypt to take people,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 鈥榊ou know, it鈥檚 over.鈥欌��
Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, 鈥淚鈥檇 love for you to take on more, cause I鈥檓 looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it鈥檚 a mess. It鈥檚 a real mess.鈥�
He said of such a mass movement of Palestinians, 鈥渋t could be temporary or long term,鈥� adding that the area of the world that encompasses Gaza, has 鈥渉ad many, many conflicts" over centuries.
鈥淪omething has to happen," Trump said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything鈥檚 demolished, and people are dying there.鈥� He added: 鈥淪o, I鈥檇 rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.鈥�
There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
Trump has offered non-traditional views on the future of Gaza in the past. He suggested after he was inaugurated on Monday that Gaza has 鈥渞eally got to be rebuilt in a different way.
The new president added then, 鈥滸aza is interesting. It鈥檚 a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It鈥檚 like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it鈥檚 very interesting."
His resuming delivery of large bombs, meawnhile, is a break with then-President Joe Biden, who halted their delivery in May as part of an effort to keep Israel from launching an all-out assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. A month later, Israel did take control of the city, but after the vast majority of the 1 million civilians that had been living or sheltering in Rafah had fled.
鈥淐ivilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,鈥� Biden told CNN in May when he held up the weapons. 鈥淚 made it clear that if they go into Rafah ... I鈥檓 not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.鈥�
The Biden pause had also held up 1,700 500-pound bombs that had been packaged in the same shipment to Israel, but weeks later those bombs were delivered.
Trump's action comes as he has celebrated the first phase of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that has paused the fighting and seen the release of some hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Negotiations have yet to begin in earnest on the more difficult second phase of the deal that would eventually see the release of all hostages held by Hamas and an enduring halt to the fighting.
The Israeli government has threatened to resume its war against Hamas 鈥� which launched a massive assault against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 鈥� if the remaining hostages are not released.
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Miller reported from Washington
Will Weissert And Zeke Miller, The Associated Press
