Trump: Make Gaza a 'Freedom Zone'

President Donald Trump repeated his desire that the U.S. help rebuild the Gaza Strip, suggesting the area become a "freedom zone" in the Middle East.

While taking questions from reporters in Qatar on Thursday, Trump discussed Gaza, which he called "a territory of death and destruction for many."

"I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good," he said. "Make it a freedom zone; let the United States get involved, and make it just a freedom zone."

"I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen. Put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with."

During an early February meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump proposed the U.S. "take over" Gaza and permanently resettle its Palestinian residents.

At the time, Trump detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip and for the U.S. to take "ownership" in redeveloping the war-torn territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

A few days later, Trump said he was committed to buying and owning Gaza but could allow sections of the land to be rebuilt by other states in the Middle East.

In late February, Trump shared an AI-generated video on his Truth Social account depicting his vision for Gaza's future.

The video contrasted the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave's current war-torn state with its proposed transformation into a luxury vacation hot spot.

Trump's latest comments came during a roundtable in Qatar, which has played host to periodic ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. So far, negotiations have been at a stalemate.

Saudi Arabia has flatly rejected Trump's Gaza plan, as have many world leaders. It was reported that Jordan's King Abdullah intended to tell Trump during a planned Feb. 11 meeting in Washington that the proposal is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos through the Middle East and jeopardize the kingdom's peace with Israel, Reuters reported earlier this week.

Reuters contributed to this story.