Hamas Official Says Trump’s Remarks About Taking Over Gaza Could Ignite the Region 

A view of an area in Gaza City destroyed during fighting between the Israeli army against Hamas, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. (AP)
A view of an area in Gaza City destroyed during fighting between the Israeli army against Hamas, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. (AP)
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Hamas Official Says Trump’s Remarks About Taking Over Gaza Could Ignite the Region 

A view of an area in Gaza City destroyed during fighting between the Israeli army against Hamas, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. (AP)
A view of an area in Gaza City destroyed during fighting between the Israeli army against Hamas, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. (AP)

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip are "ridiculous" and "absurd" and could destabilize the Middle East.

"Trump's remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region," Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Trump said the US would take control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, actions that would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and infuriate Arab states.

Trump unveiled his surprise plan, without providing specifics, at a joint press conference in Washington on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement on Gaza followed Trump's shock proposal earlier on Tuesday for the permanent resettlement of the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, calling the enclave - where the first phase of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal is in effect - a "demolition site."

Trump urged for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Gazans, saying Palestinians there had no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip, which must be rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas.

A UN damage assessment released in January showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in Gaza in the aftermath of Israel's bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.



Trump Says there Could Be a Gaza Deal Next Week

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
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Trump Says there Could Be a Gaza Deal Next Week

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One on the way to New Jersey, US, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

President Donald Trump said on Friday it was good that Hamas said it had responded in "a positive spirit" to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal.

He told reporters aboard Air Force One there could be a deal on a Gaza ceasefire by next week but that he had not been briefed on the current state of negotiations.

Hamas announced on Friday that it has completed its internal consultations, as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces, regarding the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators to end the assault on the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement, the movement confirmed that it had submitted its response to the mediators, describing it as positive. Hamas also expressed its readiness to immediately engage in serious negotiations on the mechanism for implementing the proposed framework.

A Palestinian official familiar with the matter told Reuters that Hamas had submitted its response to the US-brokered ceasefire proposal, describing it as positive and likely to facilitate reaching an agreement.