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Donald Trump asks Arab nations to help in Gaza ‘clean out’ plan: ‘It’s a real mess'

By, New Delhi
Jan 26, 2025 10:25 AM IST

US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard the Air Force One on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would like Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations to increase the number of refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially clearing out enough population to ‘just clean out' the war-torn Palestinian enclave and create a ‘virtual clean state.’

Donald Trump news live: President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House (AP)
Donald Trump news live: President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House (AP)

Donald Trump, who began his second and final term on January 20, returning to the White House after four years, had a 20-minute Q&A session with reporters aboard the Air Force One, the presidential plane.

The US President also noted he had a call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak with Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday.

"I'd like Egypt to take more people. You’re talking about probably a million and a half people (1.5 million or 15 lakh), and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over',” news agency Associated Press quoted Trump as saying.

He added, “I complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees. I told the King, 'I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.'”

Further, the Republican leader called Gaza ‘literally a demolition site right now.'

"Something has to happen. So, I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they (refugees) can maybe live in peace for a change,” he stated.

On his decision to reverse a ban imposed by the previous Joe Biden administration on supply of bombs to Israel, the MAGA leader said this was because they (Israel) ‘bought them (bombs).’

Trump's remarks come at a time when a ceasefire is in effect between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which controls Gaza. The two sides have been engaged in an armed conflict since October 2023.

The ceasefire was brokered by the Joe Biden administration, along with Egypt and Qatar. Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, too, played a crucial role in the negotiations.

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