Trump's Gaza takeover remarks met with backlash

Saudi Arabia and Australia are among those rejecting President Donald Trump's suggestion that the US could "take over" Gaza. US top diplomat Marco Rubio has stood behind Trump's remarks.

Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace Palestinians

Saudi Arabia says it rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land and that this stance is not negotiable.

In a sharply worded statement issued early Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said their long call for an independent Palestinian state was a "firm, steadfast and unwavering position."

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses ... its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land," the statement said.

The statement was a reaction to Tuesday's announcement by US President Donald Trump, who suggested the United States could take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip after the Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically. 

Some 2 million people live in the Gaza Strip, much of which has been destroyed after Israel's war on Hamas. Israel's operations against Gaza came after the October 7, 2023, terror attacks by Hamas on Israel. 

Saudi Arabia has supported the Palestinians having an independent state comprised of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with east Jerusalem as their capital.

Trump's Gaza suggestion a 'recipe for chaos and tension,' Hamas says

The Palestinian militant group Hamas unsurprisingly says it rejects Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should leave the Gaza Strip.

"We reject Trump's statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave," Hamas said in a statement.

It added that the suggestions are "a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region."

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri also warned that such actions could "ignite the region." 

Trump's remarks about his desire to control Gaza are "ridiculous and absurd," Abu Zuhri told Reuters news agency.

Hamas, which operates in Gaza, is considered a terrorist group by the US, Germany and several other countries.   

Australia still backs two-state solution in the Middle East

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government continues to support a two-state solution in the Middle East, "where both Israelis and Palestinians could live in peace and security."

"We've supported a ceasefire, we've supported hostages being released and we've supported aid getting into Gaza," Albanese told reporters on Wednesday. 

The Australian prime minister didn't respond to questions about what he made of US President Donald Trump's suggestion for the US to take over Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere.

"I'm not going to have a running commentary on statements by the president of the United States," he said. "I've made that very clear."

US top diplomat says US stands ready to 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to back Trump's plans for a US takeover of Gaza. 

"Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS [US President Donald Trump] shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again," Rubio posted on X. 

Trump has floated suggestions of Palestinian displacement since January 25 but has not offered much more detail.

What exactly did Trump say about Gaza?

US President Donald Trump said that Palestinians could "permanently" be resettled from Gaza and that the US would take "ownership" of the Gaza Strip.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too," Trump said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

"We'll own it. And be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on this site."

He described the role of the US in Gaza as a "long-term ownership position."