The president also lamented the condition of the three most recently freed Israeli hostages, stating they resemble Holocaust survivors and that he is not sure how long the Gaza cease-fire can hold considering their condition. 'Who could take that? At some point we're gonna lose our patience.'
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Sunday that he is "committed to buying and owning Gaza," adding that letting Palestinians currently living there go back once they are removed from the territory would be a "big mistake."
The president also lamented the condition of the three most recently freed Israeli hostages, stating they resemble Holocaust survivors and that he is not sure how long the Gaza cease-fire can hold considering their condition.
"As far as moving back, there's nothing to move back to," Trump told reports aboard Air Force One. "The remainder" of Gaza, Trump said, "will be demolished. You can't live in those buildings right now. We'll make into a good site for future development by … somebody."
"We'll let other countries develop parts of it, it will be beautiful. People can come from all over the world and live there. We're gonna take care of the Palestinians and make sure …they're not murdered," he added. "Hamas has been a disaster."
Trump further said he will meet with "all" of the Arab leaders like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, in addition to his planned meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.
"It's a big mistake to allow the Palestinians or the people to be living in Gaza to go back yet another time. We don't want Hamas going back, think of it as a big real estate site." According to him, "the only reason they're talking about returning to Gaza is because they don't have an alternative. When they have one, they won't want to return"
"The U.S. is going to own it and will very slowly – we're in no rush – develop it. We're going to bring stability to a totally war-torn part of the Middle East that has caused tremendous problems. It's totally demolished right now but will be reclaimed, leveled out, fixed up," he said.
"There won't be anyone there, Hamas won't be there. We'll be building through other rich countries in the Middle East some beautiful sites for the Palestinians to live in, living in harmony and peace probably for the first time in hundreds of years," he added.
Trump's comments come as senior U.S. officials continue to laud his plan – both for its supposed originality and its supposed ability to bring Arab states to the negotiating table to craft some sort of alternative solution.
"I watched the hostages come back and they looked like Holocaust survivors," Trump said of the hostages released from Gaza on Saturday.
"They were in horrible condition, they were emaciated. It looked like many years ago, the Holocaust survivors," he said on Air Force One en route to the Super Bowl.
"I don't know how much longer we can take that when I watch that. I know we have a deal where they're supposed to dribble in and keep dribble in, but they are in really bad shape. Even the ones that came out early were in a bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that? At some point we're gonna lose our patience," he continued, as his negotiators continue to mediate efforts to transition to the deal's second stage.
"When I see that scene I saw today," he continued. "They look like they haven't had a meal in a month. No reason for that. I don't know how much longer we can take it. When I watch people that were healthy people a short number of years ago, you look at them today and they look like they aged 25 years. They look like holocaust survivors. The same thing," he added.
The most recent batch of freed Israeli hostages caused significant alarm about the state of the rest of the hostages, with the three freed hostages – Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami – appearing gaunt and malnourished.