Feb. 5: Netanyahu meets US Vice President Vance, National Security Adviser Waltz

‘The first good idea I’ve heard’: Netanyahu endorses scaled-backed version of Trump’s Gaza plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Fox News host Sean Hannity, on February 5, 2025. (Screenshot/Fox News)

A day after President Donald Trump called to “permanently” relocate all Palestinians outside of the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorses a scaled-back version of the proposal, calling it “remarkable.”

“This is the first good idea that I’ve heard,” Netanyahu says in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “It’s a remarkable idea. And I think it should be examined, pursued, and done because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”

Netanyahu seemed to be taken by surprise by Trump’s plan during a joint press conference, and he offered a rather non-committal response to the idea at first.

“I don’t think he talked about sending US troops to complete the job of destroying Hamas,” he tells Hannity. “I also don’t think he said he’s going to fund it. He said that neighboring states, wealthy states, would do it.”

“But the actual idea of allowing Gazans who want to leave to leave,” Netanyahu continues.

“I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back.”

Top US officials also sought to walk back some aspects of Trump’s proposal, saying the removal would only be temporary.

Trump had said he hoped Gazans “wouldn’t want to return” to Gaza.

Top US diplomat Rubio won’t attend upcoming G20 meeting in South Africa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend the G20 meeting in South Africa, the top US diplomat says, days after President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding to the African country.

South Africa will host a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 from February 20-21 in Johannesburg.

PM arrives back at hotel after Pentagon meeting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives the Willard Hotel after his meeting at the Pentagon.

He has not made public his schedule for the remainder of the evening.

Witkoff, Rubio appear to soften aspects of Trump’s plan for Gaza, insist it would be temporary

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff appear to join National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in walking back or softening some elements of Trump’s plan to take over Gaza that was unveiled yesterday.

Trump said yesterday that he wants all Palestinians “permanently” removed from Gaza, Rubio tells reporters that the move would only be temporary.

“What he very generously has offered is the ability of the United States to go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with reconstruction, the rebuilding homes and businesses and things of this nature so that then people can move back in,” Rubio says in Guatemala City while on his first diplomatic trip abroad.

Trump also said the US might send troops to Gaza to advance his take-over plan.

But Witkoff told Republican senators in a closed-door lunch at the Capitol that Trump “doesn’t want to put any US troops on the ground, and he doesn’t want to spend any US dollars at all” on Gaza, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri tells reporters.

Witkoff also told lawmakers that the administration had been “gestating on this plan for some time,” according to Hawley.

Hegseth lauds Israel’s killing of Hezbollah heads; Netanyahu: Our victory is your victory

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) places his hand on his heart as he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on February 5, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

Hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praises Israel for eliminating Hezbollah leaders, including military commander Fuad Shukr, who was wanted for his role in the deadly 1983 bombing of US Marine Barracks in Lebanon.

“You have a long memory, and we have a long memory,” he says.

Criticizing the Biden administration for holding up weapons shipments to Israel, Hegseth says: “We supplied munitions that were previously not supplied, that were useful in eradicating radical enemies.”

He declines to say whether US troops could be deployed to Gaza in support of President Donald Trump’s proposal for the country to take over the war-torn territory, instead explaining that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again.”

“The president is willing to think outside the box. To find new and unique ways to solve problems that felt like they were intractable,” he says. “We are prepared to look at all options.”

In his remarks, Netanyahu says that Israel is a unique US ally, “in that we have no compunction about fighting our enemies by ourselves. We are willing to shoulder the burden of our defense by confronting the forces of radicalism and terror, and the forces that are anti-American at their core.

“They call you the Great Satan, and they call us the Small Satan, we just stand in their way. You are their great enemy,” he argues. “By confronting these various enemies, we are not only defeating those who wish to attack us, but those who wish to attack you as well.

“Therefore our victory is your victory,” says Netanyahu, adding that Israel is “well advanced” in pursuing its war goals.

Netanyahu meets Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth receives Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon.

A military band plays Hatikvah and the Star-Spangled Banner.

The two do not take questions.

Waltz says Trump has not ruled out a future two-state solution

More from US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s interview with CBS:

Waltz says President Trump has not ruled out a future two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but suggests that the Palestinian state would only include the West Bank and not Gaza.

Asked if Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and turn it into an international economic hub means the end of US support for a two-state solution, Waltz responds, “I certainly didn’t hear the president say it was the end of the two-state solution.”

“You have the Palestinian Authority, you have the West Bank,” Waltz adds.

Waltz notes that Trump also said during his press conference yesterday that Palestinians would also be allowed to live in Gaza once it is rebuilt. Earlier in the day, though, he said the Gazan population needed to be “permanently” resettled elsewhere.

The top Trump aide says the US is speaking with its allies in the region about the issue, particularly the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Jordan’s King Abdullah is meeting Trump at the White House next week.

“The president is engaging with our key allies in the region and asking for their input, asking for their ideas,” he says.

Waltz also stresses that the US and Israel are aligned in the belief that Hamas cannot remain in Gaza. “We would not allow ISIS to continue to attack us on our border,” he says. “We’re going to support the Israeli government as they defend themselves.”

Syria’s president receives invitation from Macron to visit France

Syria's then-de facto leader, now interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, walks in the presidential palace in Damascus, December 28, 2024. Mosa'ab Elshamy/ AP)

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit France in the coming weeks, the Syrian president’s office says in a statement.

The two also discussed in a phone call the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, the office adds.

US national security adviser says allies encouraged to suggest own solutions to Gaza

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz suggests that President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza need not be the final word on the matter and that allies are encouraged to provide their own alternatives to rebuilding Gaza.

“Everybody’s heart breaks for the Palestinian people across the region, and rightly so, but [Trump is] not seeing any realistic solutions on how those miles and miles and miles of debris are going to be cleared, how those unexploded bombs are going to be removed, how these people are physically going to live [there] for at least a decade, if not longer that it’s going to take to do this [reconstruction],” Waltz says during an interview with CBS News.

“The fact that nobody has a realistic solution, and he puts some very bold, fresh, new ideas out on the table, I don’t think should be criticized in any way. It’s going to bring the entire region to come up with their own solutions if they don’t like Mr. Trump’s solution,” he adds.

Asked whether it matters if the Palestinians might oppose Trump’s plan to remove them from Gaza, Waltz responds, “Of course it does.”

“But one of the key points President Trump made last night was, ‘Tell me what real better alternatives they’ve ever been offered?'”

He argues that what Trump is offering is far more enticing for Palestinians than their current situation in Gaza.

‘I thought we voted for America first’: Trump Gaza plan has US lawmakers skeptical

Skeptical US lawmakers say they still favor the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians that has long been a foundation of US diplomacy. Some also reject the idea of spending US taxpayer dollars or sending in US troops to a region that has been devastated by more than a year of war.

“I thought we voted for America first,” Republican Senator Rand Paul says on X. “We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood.”

The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians.  

I thought we voted for America First. 

We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood. https://t.co/hRM8UneLe1

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 5, 2025

Republicans hold narrow majorities in Congress over Democrats, who reject the idea outright. “That is ethnic cleansing by another name,” Senator Chris Van Hollen says on MSNBC.

Republican Senator Jerry Moran says the idea of a two-state solution cannot just be thrown out. “It’s not something that can be unilaterally decided,” he tells reporters.

Senator Lisa Murkowski says she will not speculate about any possible proposal to send US forces into a region “that has seen enough turmoil.”

“I don’t even want to speculate on that question, because I think that is quite frightening,” she says.

Military band awaits Netanyahu at the Pentagon

A military band waits to greet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon, February 5, 2025 (Lazar Berman)

Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, a military band decked out in red waits to greet the Israeli leader.

A Marine Corps honor guard bearing an Israeli flag awaits Netanyahu’s arrival as well.

After uproar, White House says Trump only seeking to remove Gazans ‘temporarily’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on February 5, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The White House appears to move away from US President Donald Trump’s assertion yesterday that he wants to permanently remove Palestinians outside of Gaza, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stressing that Washington’s goal is to only “temporarily” remove Palestinians.

Trump “has made it very clear… that he expects our partners in the region — particularly Egypt and Jordan — to accept Palestinian refugees temporarily so that we can rebuild their homes,” Leavitt says during a press conference.

Pressed to clarify whether the White House was shifting away from Trump’s talk of “permanent” to “temporary” relocation, Leavitt responds: “The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza for the rebuilding… as it’s a demolition site right now, it’s not a livable place for any human being.”

Her staff then flashes pictures on screens behind Leavitt showing the extent of Gaza’s destruction. “I think it’s actually quite evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions,” she says.

Leavitt is also pressed on Trump’s suggestion that the US could send troops to Gaza by reporters seeking to reconcile that idea with the president’s long-held comments against foreign entanglements, particularly in the Middle East.

“The president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza,” she stresses.

“It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort to ensure stability in the region for all people… It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort. It means Donald Trump, who is the best deal-maker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region,” Leavitt adds.

Pressed whether the US will move Palestinians by force if they don’t want to leave, the press secretary avoids answering directly, sufficing with insisting that Trump is committed to relocating Gazans in order to rebuild the Strip.

Leavitt begins her remarks by stressing that Trump is “committed to free[ing] all remaining hostages” and later adds that Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in control of Gaza, two positions that may place the administration at a crossroads, given the belief that Hamas is using hostages as an insurance policy to remain in power.

EU says Gaza ‘an integral part of a future Palestinian state’

Gaza should be an essential part of a future Palestinian state, an EU foreign policy spokesperson says, adding that the European Union is committed to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

“We took note of President Trump’s comments. The EU remains firmly committed to a two-state solution, which we believe is the only path to long-term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the spokesperson says.

“Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state,” he adds.

Palestinians report 4 killed in Rafah; IDF says suspects were ‘imminent threat’ to troops

The IDF says troops fired warning shots to disperse suspects approaching forces in several areas of the Gaza Strip today.

In one incident, the military says several suspects were just a few dozen meters from troops and were identified as an “imminent threat.” The soldiers opened fire on the suspects.

Palestinian media report that four were killed by Israeli fire in the Rafah area.

The IDF says it is “determined to fully maintain the terms of the agreement in order to return the hostages,” and is “prepared for any scenario and will continue to take any necessary actions to thwart any immediate threat to IDF soldiers.

“The IDF calls the residents of Gaza to follow its instructions and avoid approaching the troops deployed in the area,” the military adds.

Aide to PM: Trump’s proposal will help get hostages out of Gaza

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump’s proposal for the evacuation of Gaza’s civilians will help get hostages out of Hamas captivity, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entourage argues to Channel 12 news.

“Trump’s words add a psychological element into the negotiations that wasn’t there until now,” the official says.

“It’s a ‘hold me back,’ which we don’t know will actually take place. But it at least accelerates the negotiations for extending the first phase of the deal, to free more hostages and extend the ceasefire.”

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel earlier this week that Israel expects Hamas to try to extend the first phase of the deal until it figures out how to handle Trump’s pressure and positions.

Rubio asserts Trump only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to the media during a joint news conference with Guatemala's President Bernardo Arevalo at the Culture Palace in Guatemala City on February 5, 2025. (JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP)

US President Donald Trump only wants Palestinians to leave temporarily while Gaza is reconstructed, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

Trump’s controversial idea “was not meant as hostile. It was meant as, I think, a very generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding,” Rubio tells reporters on a visit to Guatemala.

His comments seem to contradict Trump, who, when asked if Palestinians would return to the Strip after leaving, said he hoped “they wouldn’t want to return.”

Hezbollah says US plans for Palestinians are ‘criminal’; Houthis blast Trump

An official from the Lebanese Hezbollah group describes US plans to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip as “criminal orders.”

The comments by Hussein Moussawi, political advisor to the group’s secretary general, are published in a statement from Hezbollah.

Yemeni Houthis also condemn Trump, saying Yemen “stands beside Palestine in confronting all forms of aggression against the Palestinian cause.”

Report: Israel has been considering own proposal to encourage Gaza emigration

Channel 12 reports that Israel has for several months been considering its own potential plan to encourage emigration from Gaza, to a third country that is not Egypt or Jordan.

The network notes that plan would have a smaller scope than Trump’s, giving the opportunity to those interested to leave to another country.

It is unclear how serious or far along such a plan is.

Following US, Israel says it will halt participation in the UN Human Rights Council

A diplomat observes the room a the opening of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 9, 2024. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

A day after US President Donald Trump stopped US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Israel is following suit, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces.

“Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC,” writes Sa’ar on X.

“The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East — Israel,” Sa’ar charges.

“This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating antisemitism, instead of promoting human rights.”

“Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!” Sa’ar declares.

Arab officials to ToI: Egypt, Qatar fear Trump’s Gaza plan could upend hostage talks

Arab mediators from Egypt and Qatar are concerned that US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and permanently empty the enclave of its Palestinians may impact the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, as Israel and Hamas begin indirect talks regarding the terms of the agreement’s second phase, two Arab officials tell The Times of Israel.

“The deal is very fragile, and the transition from the first to the second phase was always going to be difficult, but this could completely upend everything,” says one of the Arab officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The second official reveals that Hamas has already indicated to mediators that Trump’s comments yesterday may have an effect on how it proceeds in the negotiations regarding phase two. However, the Arab official adds that Hamas did not provide any specifics.

Netanyahu meets US Vice President Vance, National Security Adviser Waltz

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Vice President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz in Washington's Blair House, February 5, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets in Blair House with US Vice President JD Vance and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

Footage from the meeting shows senior aides in the room as well.

Netanyahu is slated to meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon this afternoon.

Report: Smotrich says Gazans should be sent to countries not bordering Israel

Minister of Finance and head of the Religious Zionist party Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is reportedly opposed to relocating Gazans to Jordan or Egypt, as proposed by US President Donald Trump, arguing that Palestinians should be sent to countries that don’t share a border with Israel.

Smotrich in conversations with confidants in recent days has taken particular issue with the idea of sending Palestinians to Jordan, arguing that this could destabilize the kingdom and pose a security threat to Israel on its longest border with the West Bank, Israel Hayom reports.

Gantz: ‘Israel has nothing to lose’ from Trump’s Gaza plan

National Unity party leader MK Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem, February 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Unity chief Benny Gantz appears to endorse US President Donald Trump’s call to resettle residents of the Gaza Strip elsewhere, tweeting that Israel can only gain from relocating those who wish to leave the devastated coastal enclave.

Following a faction meeting, Gantz thanks Trump for “his deep commitment to Israel’s security and the future of the entire region” and says that the “most important principle” of the president’s plan “is to transfer responsibility for the residents of Gaza from Hamas to the world.”

“The idea of ​​building safe and prosperous areas for the residents of Gaza outside the Strip and allowing those who wish to do so to move to them is admirable and will stand the test of reality. Whether it succeeds fully or partially, Israel has nothing to lose from it — only something to gain,” he continues.

“We need to ensure that reconstruction funds do not once again become funds for recruiting [terror] operatives, manufacturing weapons, and building tunnels, but are intended for the residents of Gaza, for the civilian reconstruction of a Gaza Strip demilitarized from military threats,” Gantz says.

Calling for the full return of the hostages and Lebanon’s full implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the north, Gantz welcomes “the steps President Trump has taken regarding Iran and his statement that he will not allow it to obtain nuclear weapons.”

“We have a window of opportunity to remove the Iranian nuclear threat. We must not miss it. We must work hand in hand with the American administration and together create a better and more stable reality for Israel, the countries of the region, and the entire world,” he says.

Responding to Gantz, Labor MK Gilad Kariv says in a post: “Really MK Gantz, Israel has nothing to lose? Is there no moral and ethical cost? Is this not giving a tailwind to Kahanist ideas? Is there no risk of destabilization in Jordan and Egypt? Is there no danger of a severe escalation in Judea and Samaria?

“The role of the opposition is to present an alternative, not to serve as a cheerleading squad or an escort,” he says.

UAE says it rejects any attempt to displace Palestinians

The United Arab Emirates categorically rejects any attempt to displace the Palestinians and deny them “inalienable rights,” the UAE foreign ministry says in a statement.

US House Speaker Johnson praises Trump’s ‘bold’ Gaza proposal

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the 2025 House Republican Members Conference Dinner at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson praises President Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to take over the war-torn Gaza Strip and says House Republicans would stand with Trump on his initiative.

“The initial announcement yesterday, I think, was greeted by surprise by many, but cheered by, I think, people all around the world,” Johnson tells a press conference. “Why? Because that area is so dangerous, and he’s taking bold, decisive action to try to secure the peace of that region.”

Gaza ‘belongs to Palestinians,’ Berlin says after Trump comments

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks in Berlin on January 26, 2025 (Tobias Schwarz / AFP)

The Gaza Strip “belongs to the Palestinians,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says after President Donald Trump suggested the United States should take over the war-ravaged territory.

“The civilian population of Gaza must not be expelled, and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or repopulated,” Baerbock says in a statement.

The forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would be “unacceptable and contrary to international law,” she says.

“It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred,” she adds. “It is clear that Gaza — like the West Bank and East Jerusalem — belongs to the Palestinians.”

“They form the basis for a future Palestinian state” and a two-state solution remains the “only” option for peace, Baerbock states.

Trump says ‘everybody loves’ his Gaza plan, despite backlash

President Donald Trump insists that “everybody loves” his shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, despite a resounding rejection by Palestinians, Middle East leaders and governments around the world.

“Everybody loves it,” Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the reaction to his plan. He then says it is “not the right time” for further questions as he is overseeing the swearing in of new US Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Netanyahu’s office releases new photos of meeting with Trump

US President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, in Washington, February 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office releases new photos of his meeting with US President Donald Trump yesterday.

One picture shows Netanyahu examining a photo of the two leaders, signed by Trump with the message, “To Bibi: A Great Leader!”

PUS resident Donald Trump, left, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Other images show the two men walking through the White House engaged in conversation.

UN warns Gaza deportations ‘strictly prohibited’

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, January 15, 2025. (Louai Beshara / AFP)

UN rights chief Volker Turk insists that deporting people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited, after President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over Gaza and resettle its people.

“It is crucial that we move towards the next phase of the ceasefire, to release all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, end the war and reconstruct Gaza, with full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” Turk says in a statement.

Many of the prisoners being released by Israel have been convicted for their part in deadly terror attacks.

“The suffering of people in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel has been unbearable. Palestinians and Israelis need peace and security, on the basis of full dignity and equality.”

Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, says international law was “very clear.”

Qatar says it is ‘too early’ to talk about Palestinian displacement

Qatar says it is too early to talk about the resettlement of Palestinians from the enclave, and that Doha is busy trying to bring about the second phase of a deal to halt the war between Israel and Hamas.

Asked by Fox News if Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza would help or hurt the ceasefire talks, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari says: “I don’t think it’s a time now to start commenting on specific ideas.”

“We know that there is a lot of trauma with the Palestinian side when it comes to displacement. However, again, it’s too early to talk about this, because we don’t know how this war will end.”

Al-Ansari also sats that Qatar is ready to mediate between the Trump administration and Iran for the stability of the whole region.

“We have been, even during the first Trump administration, working with the administration over getting an arrangement with the Iranians. And we think it’s the role that we can play now, we are fitted to do it,” Al-Ansari says.

Israeli man accused of West Bank checkpoint ramming that injured guard

A 54-year-old Israeli from Taybeh is accused of a ramming attack at a West Bank checkpoint two weeks ago that injured a guard there, police and the Shin Bet say.

Jawad Azzam is to be indicted in the coming days.

Officials say on January 16 Azzam veered from his lane at the checkpoint near Qalqilya and hit the guard as he crossed another lane, before crashing into a pole. The guard was moderately hurt.

Investigators ruled out the possibility that a technical malfunction led to the crash, the statement says.

Trump’s hostage envoy warns of consequences for Iraq if Israeli Tsurkov not freed

The Trump administration’s hostage envoy weighs in for the first time on the captivity of Princeton University researcher and Israeli-Russian national Elizabeth Tsurkov, warning the prime minister of Iraq — where she has been held hostage since 2023 by Iran-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah — that he will be deemed complicit if she is not immediately released.

“Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Princeton student held hostage in Iraq!” Adam Boehler tweets, adding that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “consistently made false promises to the prior administration about releasing her.”

“BUT NOW [US President Donald Trump] IS ON TO YOU!” he adds, warning that if Tsurkov “does not come home NOW then [Sudani] is either incapable and should be FIRED or worse COMPLICIT.”

He shares a tweet by Tsurkov’s sister.

It's been 687 days since my sister @Elizrael, a Princeton student, was kidnapped in Baghdad. 687 days of incompetence and inaction by the Iraqi PM @IraqiPMO. The Biden administration kept showering the corrupt Iraqi officials with hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars with… pic.twitter.com/VPVPXqcXDl

— Emma Tsurkov, PhD (@emma_tsurkov) February 5, 2025

Indonesia ‘strongly rejects’ Trump Gaza resettlement proposal

Indonesia “strongly rejects” the proposal made by US President Donald Trump for the United States to assume control of Gaza and resettle Palestinians elsewhere, the Foreign Ministry says.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has consistently called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Indonesia strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the Foreign Ministry says in a statement posted on X.

Jakarta also calls on the international community to respect international law, “particularly the right to self-determination of the Palestinians as well as their inalienable right to return to their homeland,” the ministry adds.

Woman killed, young man seriously injured in car crash near Beit Guvrin

A woman was killed and a young man was seriously injured in a crash that involved cars and a truck near Beit Guvrin, southwest of Jerusalem.

The woman was around 30, and the man is in his 20s.

Several other people were hurt in the accident, the cause of which is not immediately clear.

Freed surveillance soldiers head home from hospital

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger meets her four comrades, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, at Rabin Medical Center, January 30, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Freed surveillance soldiers are returning home from the hospital following their release from captivity in Gaza.

Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev have been in treatment since their release on January 26. They remained at hospital several more days than planned in order to be with their friend Agam Berger after her release on January 30.

Berger will remain in care for a few more days.

קרינה ארייב בדרך הביתה ♥️
תושבי שכונת פסגת זאב מתרגשים ומחכים לה בקבלת פנים pic.twitter.com/dfvIDCC8Pj

— Inbar Twizer ענבר טויזר (@inbartvizer) February 5, 2025

Many people awaited the four women with flags and welcome signs on the roadsides in their hometowns to celebrate their return.

"עם ישראל חי": החגיגות מחוץ לביתה של דניאלה גלבוע בפתח תקווה@shirbitton_ pic.twitter.com/gLvrKlXldV

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) February 5, 2025

Jordan’s king rejects any attempts to annex land, displace Palestinians

Jordan’s King Abdullah says he rejects any attempts to annex land and displace Palestinians.

The remarks come after US President Trump said the United States would take over Gaza after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically.

Report: Jared Kushner behind Trump’s plan to take over Gaza

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner listen as then-Republican presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump attends an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida, November 6, 2024. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner was reportedly behind his father-in-law US President Donald Trump’s plan, announced yesterday, for the US to take over Gaza and clear it of Palestinians.

Kushner was involved in crafting Trump’s prepared remarks that he made alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Puck news reports, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu had not requested that Trump pursue such a plan ahead of time, Puck adds.

Kushner appeared to hint at the entire idea in a speech he gave last year.

“Gaza’s waterfront property — it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said during an event at Harvard.

“It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner added. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterward.”

Netanyahu to meet Vice President JD Vance today

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US Vice President JD Vance today, a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu is also scheduled to meet US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today.

Israel was ‘surprised by the scale’ of Trump’s Gaza plans — PM’s aide

Israel did not know the full extent of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal ahead of time, a senior Netanyahu aide tells The Times of Israel.

“We knew about the idea, but we were surprised by the scale,” says the official.

UK’s Starmer says Palestinians ‘must be allowed home,’ must be allowed to rebuild in Gaza

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street in central London on February 5, 2025, to take part in the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). (Adrian Dennis / AFP)

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says that Palestinians “must be allowed home” in Gaza after US President Donald Trump suggested the United States should take over the war-ravaged territory.

“They must be allowed home. They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution,” Starmer tells the UK parliament during his weekly questions session.

Suspended far-left MK threatens ‘to blow up the bridges’ to prevent potential relocation of Gazans

Hadash-Ta'al MK Ofer Cassif addresses the Knesset plenum, November 11, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

Far-left MK Ofer Cassif threatens the use of physical force to prevent the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

“Facing the notion of ​​Arab deportation and exile — ‘transfer’ — we must stand up and say sharply and simply: It will be impossible because we will not allow it,” Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, writes in an English-language post on social platform X.

“Even if we have to lie down under the wheels of trucks. Even if we have to blow up the bridges. There will be no mass deportation by force, because we will not allow it to happen,” he continues. He also calls for a Palestinian state.

The Knesset Ethics Committee voted unanimously in November to suspend Cassif from the Knesset for six months over comments he made regarding the Israel Defense Forces and the war in Gaza.

Citing what it called a “systematic pattern of action” for which he failed to show remorse, the committee based its decision on a number of incidents for which Cassif has drawn criticism in recent years, such as a tweet in which he described Palestinians fighting against the IDF in the West Bank city of Jenin as “freedom fighter[s].”

It also cited his public support for a South African motion before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.

Per the committee’s decision, Cassif is not allowed to enter the Knesset plenum or committee meetings except in order to vote. He is also not allowed to take part in debates or address parliament.

Tests carried out on new anti-drone defense systems in development, Defense Ministry says

A test of anti-drone defense systems in southern Israel, February 4, 2025. (Defense Ministry)

The Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development says it has completed a series of tests on new anti-drone defense systems that are in development.

Arms contractors Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, and six smaller companies presented different solutions for the unmanned aerial vehicle threat, with the first tests being carried out in October and a final test yesterday.

The systems that passed the tests will move on with development with full Defense Ministry funding.

The ministry says that during yesterday’s final tests at a firing zone in southern Israel, each of the nine companies “displayed interception capabilities of UAVs of different ranges, speeds, and altitudes.”

The companies presented several anti-drone systems, including systems using 30mm cannons and other gun-based technologies; interceptor UAVs, including some that launch a net to take down a target drone; and interceptor missiles.

“Upon completion of an analysis of the current experimental results, the Defense Ministry intends to choose a number of technologies that will enter into an accelerated development and manufacturing process. This is to deploy new operational capabilities in the immediate time frame,” the ministry says.

Some 1,300 drones were launched at Israel since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, from all fronts — Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. According to IDF data, 231 of the drones struck Israel, causing casualties and damage in a handful of cases.

A target drone is shot down during a test in southern Israel, February 4, 2025. (Defense Ministry)

Trump says he wants a deal with Tehran, denies US and Israel planning strike on Iran

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he signs an executive order to create a US sovereign wealth fund, in the Oval Office of the White House on February 3, 2025, Washington, DC. (Jim Watson / AFP)

US President Donald Trump denies reports that the US and Israel will carry out a military strike on Iran, saying he wants to make a deal with Tehran.

“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens, ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED,” Trump writes, apparently in the middle of the night, on his Truth Social platform. It is unclear which reports he is referring to.

“I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper,” he writes. “We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!”

Yesterday, Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, including efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero, in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The move brings back the tough US policy on Iran that Trump implemented throughout his first term.  Iran said earlier today that the policy “will turn into another failure.”

Trump kept Gaza takeover proposal under wraps, discussed it only with inner circle – WSJ

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with unseen Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)

US President Donald Trump came up in recent days with his idea of taking over the Gaza Strip, running the proposal by close aides while keeping it a secret even from administration officials who were tasked with preparing for his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing administration officials.

According to the WSJ, officials outside of Trump’s innermost circle were not told about the US president’s plan, which took even some of his most fervent supporters in the pro-Israel community by surprise.

The Journal quoted one longtime pro-Israel fundraiser for Trump who called the idea “insane.”

Trump said yesterday during a visit by Netanyahu that “the US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” adding that the enclave’s almost two million residents should be resettled elsewhere, rather than remain in the war-ravaged enclave, which he called a “hellhole” and a “demolition site.”

Large fire breaks out in south Tel Aviv; no reports of injuries

A large fire has broken out near  Tel Aviv’s Hahagana train station, with smoke visible from much of the city.

The blaze apparently broke out in the vicinity of a number of single-story buildings on Golomb Street.

There are no immediate reports of injuries, fire services say. The cause of the fire is unknown.

רחוב ההגנה תל אביב שריפה במפעל צבע pic.twitter.com/CfUpJp3i6Q

— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) February 5, 2025

Romi Gonen in 1st public comments since she was freed: ‘I came out of the darkness into the light’

Romi Gonen in an undated photo uploaded to social media on February 5, 2025 (Instagram)

In her first public comments since she was freed by Hamas last month, former hostage Romi Gonen says she “came out of the darkness into the light.”

Gonen says that she can finally join the initiative promoted before her release in which people would wear her beloved leopard print on Wednesday.

“Thank God I am finally home to be a part of it. There is no doubt that leopard print is an inseparable part of me and thanks to my family and friends, you have turned it into an exciting initiative designed to remember me and fight for me,” she writes on Instagram.

“After 471 days, I came out of the darkness into the light, and I was so excited to shout: ‘Dad, I am back alive, Dad!'” she writes.

“Thank you to my beloved family who did everything to bring me home. Thanks to you, I was able to maintain my sanity and faith,” she writes.

“Thank you to all my friends who became the ‘Romi army’ and to everyone who took part in the struggle, to the security forces who risked their lives for us, I will be forever grateful,” she writes. “Huge support and love to the bereaved families.”

“My recovery journey begins now and I have many more surgeries and treatments ahead of me, but the most important thing is that I am home,” she writes.

“We must not forget that there are 79 more kidnapped people in Gaza, who survive every day in terrible conditions and are just waiting for us to save them. My rehabilitation will not be complete until they are all home. We must bring them home!!!!”

Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and held hostage by terrorists in the Gaza Strip for 471 days.

European ministers come out against Trump’s Gaza plan: ‘Unacceptable and against international law’

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Foreign ministers from a number of European countries come out against US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and relocate its entire population.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says in a statement, “A displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not just be unacceptable and against international law. This would also lead to new suffering and new hatred.”

She says that there must not be a solution “over the heads of the Palestinians” and a negotiated two-state solution remains the only one.

France “will continue to campaign for the implementation of the two-state solution, the only one that can guarantee long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the French foreign ministry says, adding that the future of Gaza must not involve “control by a third state.”

British Foreign Minister David Lammy says at a news conference during a trip to Kyiv, “We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also rejects the proposal. “I want to be very clear on this: Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza,” Albares tells reporters.

“Gaza is part of the future Palestinian state Spain supports and has to coexist guaranteeing the Israeli state’s prosperity and safety,” he adds.

Sa’ar responds to Trump plan: Necessary to ‘consider out of the box ideas’ for ‘failed experiment’ of Gaza

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attends a hearing of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, January 21, 2025. Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s call to resettle the residents of the Gaza Strip elsewhere, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells lawmakers that it is necessary to “consider out of the box ideas.”

“Gaza in its previous form has no future. Another solution must be found – and that’s what President Trump is trying to do,” he declares from the Knesset plenum.

“As long as migration is carried out of a person’s free will and as long as there is a country that is willing to accept that person, it cannot be said to be immoral or inhumane.”

Sa’ar says that Gaza is full of “hatred for Israel and the desire to destroy it.”

“I believe that together with the American administration led by President Trump, we have an opportunity to at least try to build a better future for ourselves and the entire Middle East,” he continues, dismissing European criticism of the American proposals.

“Therefore, in this spirit, I suggest that we also examine the new ideas put forward by the US President” for the “failed experiment” that is Gaza.

Settler leaders welcome Trump’s Gaza proposal: Israel should ‘adopt the vision today, translate it into action’

Pro-settlement activists at an event calling for the establishment of settlements in the Gaza Strip in Sderot, December 26, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Settler leaders react excitedly to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle the Palestinian population of Gaza in other countries, calling on the Israeli government to implement the plan immediately and then start building Jewish settlements in the territory.

Israel Ganz, head of the umbrella settler body the Yesha Council, lauds Trump’s idea, saying it amounted to “declaring an end to the Palestinian dream to destroy Israel through Gaza or the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel.”

Ganz, who also heads the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council – a municipal authority governing several dozen West Bank settlements and illegal outposts – adds that the Israeli government should “adopt Trump’s vision today, and translate it into action,” which he said should also include “the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” meaning the annexation of the West Bank.

The Nachala settlement organization, which has been promoting and lobbying for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza since the outset of the war, issues a call to action.

“On the assumption that Trump’s declaration about transferring Gazans to other countries is translated into practical action, settlements should be quickly built across the entire Gaza Strip,” says Nachala which has organized hundreds of activists into groups to establish new settlements in Gaza if the opportunity to do so arises.

The veteran Peace Now organization, which campaigns against the settlements and for a two-state solution, dismisses Trump’s proposal, however, saying there is “no possibility of transferring two million Gazans” out of the territory.

“The only ones who sooner or later will need to evacuate are the tens of thousands of settlers back to the borders of the State of Israel as part of a diplomatic agreement for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” the organization says in reference to settlers in the West Bank.

“The time has come to stop fantasizing about [Israeli] reconstruction and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and look reality in the eyes – there is only one solution that will guarantee security and stability in the Middle East and that is a two-state solution for two peoples and to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Responding to Trump proposal, France rejects ‘third-state control’ in Gaza

France says that Gaza should not be controlled by a third party after President Donald Trump said the United States should take over the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

“France will continue to campaign for the implementation of the two-state solution, the only one that can guarantee long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the foreign ministry says, adding the future of Gaza must not involve “control by a third state.”

After meeting Palestinian Authority PM, Egypt FM calls for Gaza reconstruction ‘without Palestinians leaving’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty arrives to meet with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calls for the swift reconstruction of Gaza without the displacement of Palestinians from the territory following a surprise proposal from US President Donald Trump to take it over.

In his talks with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa in Cairo, the two men agree on “the importance of moving forward with early recovery projects… at an accelerated pace… without the Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip, especially with their commitment to their land and refusal to leave it,” the Egyptian foreign ministry says.

Health Ministry regulations aim to reduce opioid use, prevent addiction

Illustrative -- OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy, Feb. 19, 2013 in Montpelier, Vermont (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

The Health Ministry announces a new set of regulations aimed at reducing opioid use and preventing opioid addiction in Israel.

Health Committee Chairman MK Yoni Mashriki says the new measures, approved this week by the Knesset’s Health Committee, introduce stricter oversight on opioid prescriptions and dispensing.

Key changes include a shift to electronic prescriptions to limit unwarranted distribution, a digital pharmacy system to monitor controlled substances, and new safeguards to prevent double dispensing of opioids.

Pharmacies will also be required to report all opioid prescriptions to health management organizations (HMOs).

PA’s Abbas strongly rejects Trump proposal: ‘Legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable’

PA President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, September 26, 2024. (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images via AFP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expresses “strong rejection” of US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.

“President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership expressed their strong rejection of calls to seize the Gaza Strip and displace Palestinians outside their homeland,” Abbas’s office says in a statement, adding that “legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable.”

Khamenei names Hezbollah leader Qassem as Iran’s ‘representative’ in Lebanon

A handout picture released by the Iranian presidency shows the deputy chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, Naim Qassem, during a meeting with Iran's new president in Tehran on July 29, 2024 (Iranian Presidency / AFP)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as his “representative” in Lebanon, Iranian media reports.

“The leader of the revolution in a decree introduced Sheikh Naim Qassem, secretary general of Hezbollah, as his representative in Lebanon,” Tasnim news agency says.

Tasnim carried a copy of the official decree which said Qassem will represent Khamenei in handling “non-litigious matters” and “managing religious affairs” in Lebanon.

The news agency notes that Qassem’s predecessor Hassan Nasrallah — who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on south Beirut in September 27 — had held the same title.

Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran, has representatives in all of Iran’s provinces with a mandate to collect religious funds and perform other duties.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to vote for the parliamentary runoff elections, in Tehran, Iran on May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran: Trump’s policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Tehran will ‘turn into another failure’

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gives a press conference in Tehran on December 30, 2024. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that US President Donald Trump’s reimposition of a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran will end in “failure” as it did during his first term.

“I believe that maximum pressure is a failed experiment and trying it again will turn into another failure,” Araghchi tells reporters following a cabinet meeting, claiming that Tehran is not pursuing nuclear weapons.

During his first term that ended in 2021, Trump pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, withdrawing the United States from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, and reimposing biting sanctions.

The deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Tehran adhered to the deal until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments. Efforts to revive the 2015 deal have since faltered.

Yesterday, Trump signed an order reinstating the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran over allegations that the country is seeking a nuclear weapons capability.

“If the main issue is that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, it is achievable and is not much of a problem,” Araghchi says, repeating the claim — derided by Western powers — that Tehran’s program is solely civilian.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Palestinian media: Gunman in Tuesday’s deadly West Bank attack is brother of slain Islamic Jihad commander

The IDF post near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir attacked by a Palestinian gunman on February 4, 2025 (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

The perpetrator of yesterday’s deadly shooting attack at an IDF checkpoint near the northern West Bank village of Tayasir is identified by Palestinian media as Muhammad Daraghmeh.

Muhammad is reportedly the brother of Ahmad Daraghmeh, who was the commander of a local wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the area, known as the Tubas Battalion. He was killed by the IDF in February 2024.

Israeli defense authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the gunman who killed two soldiers and wounded eight others in the attack.

عاجل| مصادر عائلية: منفذ عملية تياسير هو الشهيد محمد دراغمة شقيق الشـــهيد القيادي بكتيبة طوباس أحمد دراغمة "الجغل". pic.twitter.com/A8ADgpaZrC

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) February 5, 2025

Houthi official: Trump’s Gaza plan is ‘American arrogance,’ Yemen will stand with Egypt and Jordan if needed

A demonstrator holds a rifle during a rally to denounce Israel and in solidarity with Palestinians in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, on January 17, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)

An official with Yemen’s Houthi rebels criticizes US President Donald Trump’s comments on a plan to “take over” of the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi leader, writes on the social media platform X that Trump’s remarks represent “American arrogance” that will subsume all if it is met with “submission from the Arabs.”

“If Egypt or Jordan or both decide to challenge America, Yemen will stand with all its strength by its side, to the furthest extent and without red lines,” he adds. Both Cairo and Amman have rejected the idea of taking in Palestinians from Gaza.

The Houthis launched attacks on Israel and commercial shipping running through the Red Sea corridor during the Israel-Hamas war. Its attacks have stopped with the ceasefire in the war, but transits through the Suez Canal, crucial to Egypt’s economy, halved during its campaign.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US House speaker praises Trump’s Gaza plan as taking ‘bold action’

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the 2025 House Republican Members Conference Dinner at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, praises US President Donald Trump’s remarks as taking a “bold action in hopes of achieving lasting peace in Gaza.”

“We are hopeful this brings much needed stability and security to the region,” he writes on X.

Johnson’s comments come after Trump declared his desire for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, and called for permanently relocating the coastal enclave’s entire population.

China says it opposes ‘forced transfer’ of Palestinians from Gaza

China says it is opposed to the “forced transfer” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip after US President Donald Trump said he planned to “take control” of the territory.

“China has always maintained that Palestinian rule over Palestinians is the basic principle of the postwar governance of Gaza, and we are opposed to the forced transfer of the residents of Gaza,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian says when asked about Trump’s plan at a regular press conference.

Palestinian Authority official ‘rejects all calls for displacement of Palestinian people from their homeland’

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the PLO Hussein al-Sheikh at a meeting in Amman, Jordan, November 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

Palestinian Authority presidential adviser Hussein al-Sheikh says the Palestinian leadership “affirms its rejection of all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland,” after US President Donald Trump said Gazans could be permanently relocated.

“The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace,” the PA official writes on X.

Report: Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager; US president: ‘That was a great operation’

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly gifted US President Donald Trump with a golden pager and a regular one, a reference to the clandestine operation that decimated the Hezbollah terror group.

“That was a great operation,” Trump responded, according to Channel 12 news.

In return, Trump gave Netanyahu a photo of the two of them from the visit, with the dedication “To Bibi, a great leader.”

In September, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon suddenly exploded, killing and injuring dozens. A day later, hundreds of walkie-talkies also blew up, killing and injuring scores more.

The attacks, swiftly attributed to Israel, came as Israel stepped up a counteroffensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which began striking Israel almost immediately after the allied Palestinian terror group Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, the remains of exploded pagers used by Hezbollah on display at an undisclosed location, on September 18, 2024, in a stealth attack blamed on Israel. (AFP)

Agencies contributed to this report.

Hamas spokesman: Trump’s ‘racist’ Gaza plan aims to ‘eliminate Palestinian cause’

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In fresh comments, Palestinian terror group Hamas rejects US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take control” of the Gaza Strip, calling it “racist” and aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause.

“The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou says in a statement.

Earlier, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s remarks were “ridiculous” and “capable of igniting the region,”

Ben Gvir: If PM starts to implement Trump’s Gaza plan, Otzma Yehudit will return to coalition

Otzma Yehudit party head MK Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 27, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that his far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s return to the government is more likely in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s announcements in favor of a US takeover of the Gaza Strip and the relocation of its Palestinian residents.

“I haven’t sewn a new ministerial suit yet, but there is no doubt that the chances of Otzma Yehudit returning to the government have increased,” the ultranationalist politician tells Radio Galei Israel.

“The ball is now in the hands of the prime minister,” he continues. “As soon as we start and there is an intention to implement it – I’m back. I don’t want to expand on this talk, there are already plans.”

Ben Gvir, who has long advocated what he calls “voluntary migration” from the Gaza Strip, says it is not the time for “petty politics.”

“We have a huge opportunity and we must not miss it. Even before October 7, I encouraged emigration and they mocked me. We must embrace it and not just make a statement. It is time to implement and promote it,” he declares. “There were those who worked on it in Israel long before and earned nicknames like ‘messianic and delusional,’ so now is the time to move on to implementation.”

Lapid: We need to ‘study the details to understand’ Trump’s plan for Gaza

Opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv. January 28, 2025 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he wants the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid states that it was “a good press conference for the State of Israel.”

“We will have to study the details to understand what the plan is in Gaza,” he tells Army Radio, following the joint Netanyahu-Trump press conference — adding that he intends to present “a supplementary plan to the Americans” during his own planned Washington visit at the end of the month.

“The role of the Israeli leadership is to present plans, not just wait for the Americans,” he says.

Turning to the hostage deal, Lapid insists that it must be “completed until the end, including phase two.”

He notes that “Trump promised that the deal will continue and the hostages will return. Netanyahu’s statements about Hamas collapsing at the end of the deal were unnecessary. The return of the hostages is the most important thing, and the president said so too.”

Lapid goes on to praise Trump for the Abraham Accords, stating that he deserved a Nobel for brokering them and that “if there is a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for it” as well.

However, Lapid takes issue with Trump’s decision to use sanctions against Iran, arguing that Tehran “is weaker than ever” and that “we may have missed an opportunity to attack Iran.”

Gantz welcomes Trump’s Gaza comments: ‘Creative, original and interesting thinking’

National Unity leader MK Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 3, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Benny Gantz, chairman of the opposition National Unity party, welcomes US President Donald Trump’s comments on the Gaza Strip, stating that they represent “further proof of the deep alliance between the United States and Israel.”

“President Trump has shown, and not for the first time, that he is a true friend of Israel and will continue to stand by it on issues important to strengthening its security,” Gantz says in a statement.

“In his remarks, he presented creative, original and interesting thinking, which must be examined alongside the realization of the goals of the war, giving priority to the return of all the hostages.”

Speaking during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington on Tuesday evening, Trump said that the “US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it.” Trump also reinforced his call to resettle the people of Gaza, suggesting they all relocate permanently.

IDF to test rocket sirens in Sapir, Ein Yahav this morning

The Home Front Command says sirens will be tested in two communities in the south of the country today.

Alerts will be heard in Sapir at 9:05 a.m. and in Ein Yahav at 10:05 a.m.

In the case of an actual attack, the sirens will sound twice, according to the IDF.

US neo-Nazi leader found guilty in plot to attack Baltimore power grid

Brandon Russell, seen in an undated mug shot. (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)

A neo-Nazi leader accused of plotting to attack Baltimore’s power grid has been found guilty of conspiring to damage an energy facility, the US Justice Department says.

Brandon Russell, 29, of Orlando, Florida, and an associate were arrested in February 2023 after the FBI thwarted their plan with the help of a confidential informant.

Evidence presented at trial showed that between November 2022 and that month, Russell conspired to attack transformers within electrical substations “in furtherance of his racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs,” the Justice Department says in a statement.

Russell posted links to open-source infrastructure maps and described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a “cascading failure,” the department says.

He recruited a Maryland-based woman, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to carry out the attacks in order to interrupt and impair the power grid in Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city, the department says.

Clendaniel identified five substations to target and Russell attempted to secure a weapon for her. The planned attacks would have caused damage of more than $75 million, the department says.

Russell is a convicted felon and founder of a neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division that works toward “ushering in the collapse of civilization,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks US hate groups.

He was previously sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered destruction device and the improper storage of explosive materials.

Russell is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. He could face up to 20 years in prison.

Clendaniel was sentenced to 18 years in prison in September 2024.

Russell’s lawyers declined to comment on the verdict.

CIA’s entire staff offered buyouts, Wall Street Journal reports

The seal of Central Intelligence Agency is seen in the lobby the headquarters building in Langley, Virginia on Sept. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

The US Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The move would make it the first intelligence agency to join a voluntary redundancy program initiated by US President Donald Trump for federal employees.

The agency is also freezing the hiring of job seekers already given a conditional offer, the paper reports, citing an aide to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

The anonymous aide says some of those frozen offers are likely to be rescinded if the applicants do not have the right background for the agency’s new goals, which include targeting drug cartels, Trump’s trade war and undermining China, according to the Journal.

The move is part of a massive overhaul of the US government by Trump, who has vowed to radically downsize the federal workforce in the name of efficiency and frugality that has sent shock waves through Washington.

The report on the buyout offers at the CIA — whose work gathering foreign intelligence is vital to US national security — comes just hours after Trump announced an extraordinary scheme for the United States to “take over the Gaza Strip.”

The CIA does not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Ministers enthusiastic after Netanyahu, Trump meeting: ‘Thank God for this miracle’

US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

Ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government take to X to show their appreciation and enthusiasm after the premier’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The comments come after Trump declared his desire for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, after also calling for the Palestinian enclave’s entire population to be relocated.

“This is what happens when two brave leaders meet,” writes Transportation Minister Miri Regev.

Energy Minister Eli Cohen says it is a “historic morning for the State of Israel, the Middle East, and the world.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana describes it as “the dawn of a new day.”

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar is also very enthusiastic: “We have a great Prime Minister and an amazing American President! Thank God for this miracle He performed for the people of Israel.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says: “Together, we will make the world great again.”

Hamas official: Trump’s comments on taking over Gaza are ‘ridiculous and absurd’ and ‘capable of igniting the region’

US President Donald Trump listens as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri says US President Donald Trump’s remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip are “ridiculous” and “absurd.”

“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 tells Reuters.

The response from the Palestinian terror group comes hours after Trump said he wants the US to “take over” Gaza and “own” the Strip in order to rebuild the coastal enclave after it was leveled in the past 15 months of war.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site… and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out [and] create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” Trump said during a press conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump didn’t specify who those jobs will be for, given that he is also calling for all Palestinians to be removed from Gaza.

Father of slain US-Israeli hostage ‘shocked’ by Trump’s call for US takeover of Gaza

The father of American-Israeli Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, who was killed and abducted by Hamas during the terror group’s October 2023 attack, says he’s “shocked” by President Donald Trump’s call for the United States to take over Gaza.

“We didn’t know about this, but it’s clear this move was not spontaneous. We want to remind Trump and Netanyahu that human lives are at stake,” Ronen Neutra tells the Ynet news site, saying the return of the hostages must be the top priority.

His comments come after hostage families cancelled a planned press conference in Washington.

Rubio says US ready to ‘Make Gaza Beautiful Again’ after Trump calls for takeover

“Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As [US President Donald Trump] shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people,” US Secretary State Marco Rubio tweets after Trump called for the US to “take over” Gaza and clear it of all Palestinians.

Witkoff: Better life for Palestinians not necessarily tied to the physical space they now inhabit

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, arrives for a press conference with the US president and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, on February 4, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff says Palestinians need not be tied to the land where they now live in order to have a better life, as the Trump administration rallies around the president’s idea to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza.

“Peace in the region means a better life for the Palestinians. A better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space that you are in today,” Witkoff says in an interview with Fox News.

“A better life is about better opportunity, better financial conditions, better aspirations for you and your family. That doesn’t occur because you get to pitch a tent in the Gaza Strip and you’re surrounded by 30,000 munitions that could go off at any moment,” Witkoff says.

“The president is saying, ‘Let’s make it better for these people. Let’s give them more hope. Let them make that choice.’ And I think he’s right,” he adds.

Asked what message Trump is trying to send to the Middle East after the president declared that he wants the US to “own” Gaza, Witkoff responds, “He’s telling the Middle East that the last 50 years of doing things was not the correct way of doing things, and he’s going to change it up.

He “is telling the Middle East he wants to be transparent with the Palestinian people,” he says.

“Gaza today is uninhabitable and will probably be uninhabitable for at least the next 10 to 15 years,” Witkoff adds.

Witkoff said earlier Tuesday that he will meet on Thursday with the prime minister of Qatar to discuss the ongoing hostage talks.

Australian PM stresses backing for two-state solution after Trump floats Gaza takeover

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government supports a two-state solution in the Middle East, following US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of plans to take over the Gaza Strip.

“Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year,” Albanese tells a news conference.

“The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis, a two-state solution.”

Senior GOP lawmaker says his constituents will ‘not be excited’ about Trump’s Gaza plan

US Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks as Republican presidential candidate, former president Donald Trump, listens at a primary election night party in Columbia, South Carolina, February 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Republican Senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham lightly pushes back against the US president’s plan for the US to take over Gaza.

“I think that would be an interesting proposal. We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that. I think most South Carolinians would probably not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza. It might be problematic,” says the South Carolina senator, according to Jewish Insider.

Netanyahu: Trump’s Gaza plan ‘could change history’

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Prime Minister Netanyahu is asked whether he sees US President Donald Trump’s plan for a US takeover of Gaza as “a way to expand the boundaries of Israel.”

Netanyahu says one of his war goals is to ensure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.

But “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” he says. “He sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of such much terrorism, so many attacks against us… He has a different idea.”

“I think it’s worth paying attention to this,” Netanyahu goes on. “We’re talking about it. He’s exploring it with his people, with his staff. I think it’s something that could change history, and it’s worthwhile really pursuing this avenue.”

He notes that during the current “temporary ceasefire,” one Hamas leader said the terror group intends “to do October 7 again, except we’ll do it bigger.”

Netanyahu says there can’t be peace in the region if the “toxic, murderous” Hamas is left standing, any more than you could make peace in Europe after World War II if the Nazi regime and army were left standing. “You want a different future? You gotta knock out the people who want to destroy you and destroy peace. That’s what we’re going to do,” he says.

This, in turn, will “usher in the peace with Saudi Arabia and with others.”

On Iran, he endorses Trump’s declaration that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon: “We fully agree with that. If this goal can be achieved by a maximum pressure campaign, so be it.”

The most important thing “is to focus on the goal, which the president just did.”

Trump weighs in at this point, saying of Netanyahu: “He doesn’t want to do what some people think will automatically happen, because [the Iranian regime] are very difficult people to deal with, as you know. If we could solve this problem without warfare, without all of the things that you’ve been witnessing over the last number of years, I think it would be a tremendous thing.”

Asked whether he’d back an Israeli strike on Iran, Trump responds, “We’ll have to see what happens.”

Countering Trump, Saudi Arabia reiterates it won’t form ties with Israel without Palestinian state

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia reiterates its stance against normalizing relations with Israel before a two-state solution has been reached, after US President Donald Trump said earlier that Riyadh has not made the establishment of a Palestinian state a condition for a peace deal with Israel.

A statement from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry says that the kingdom’s stance in favor of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital is “firm and unwavering.”

It notes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated as much in a speech last September, when he said Riyadh would not establish ties with Israel without this main condition met.

The Saudi statement carefully doesn’t mention Trump by name, as Riyadh and other countries around the world try to avoid crossing the US president at the start of his second term.

However, Riyadh does stress that it had already conveyed its position against normalizing ties with Israel before a Palestinian state is established “to the previous US administration and the current administration.”

Non-Saudi officials and analysts alike, though, have long dismissed such statements from Riyadh, insisting that bin Salman is far more flexible on the issue in private and is only seeking the establishment of a “pathway” to Palestinian statehood before normalizing ties with Israel.

However, those same officials and analysts acknowledge that Riyadh has been seeking a much more irreversible pathway since the Gaza war, which has catapulted the Palestinian issue to the top of the international agenda.

Hamas official says terror group ready for talks with Trump administration

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk, center, attends the funeral of founding commander of the terror group's military wing Saleh al-Arouri, in Beirut, Lebanon, January 4, 2024. (AP/Hussein Malla)

Palestinian terror group Hamas is ready to establish contact and hold talks with the administration of US President Donald Trump, Russia’s RIA state news agency cites a senior Hamas official as saying.

“We are ready for contact and talks with the Trump administration,” RIA cites senior Hamas Politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk as saying.

“In the past, we did not object to contacts with the administration of [former US president Joe] Biden, Trump or any other US administration, and we are open to talks with all international parties.”

It is not clear when RIA interviewed Marzouk, who was visiting Moscow yesterday for talks with the Russian foreign ministry.

Trump has vowed that the US will take over the war-shattered Gaza Strip after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically, a move that would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Marzouk tells RIA that talks with the US have become a kind of necessity for Hamas, considering that Washington is a key player in the Middle East.

“That is why we welcomed the talks with the Americans and have no objection to this issue,” he adds.

Netanyahu: Peace with Saudi Arabia is going to happen; probe of Oct. 7 ‘will surprise a lot of people’

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In response to questions at his joint press conference with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu says he believes that “peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible; it’s going to happen.”

If Trump had had another half-year of his first term, it would already have happened, says the prime minister.

“I’m committed to achieving it. And I know the president is committed to achieving it. And I think the Saudi leadership is interested in achieving it.”

“We’ll give it a good shot,” he says, “and I think we’ll succeed.”

Netanyahu promises to investigate what went wrong surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught “at the appropriate time.”

He says that the appropriate body to investigate is “an independent commission that will be accepted by the majority of the people” — refusing, as always to date, to endorse a state commission of inquiry.

Israel “needs to find out exactly what happened,” he says. “I’m insisting on it.” And the findings, he says, “will surprise a lot of people.”

Trump pledges to visit Israel, Gaza and Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump (R) listens to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on February 4, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says he will visit Israel, Gaza and Saudi Arabia.

He notes that there’s been a lot of “bad leadership in the Middle East” that allowed the last year of tumult to unfold. He doesn’t specify who he is referring to.

In prepared remarks at the beginning of his press conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump blasts the policy of his predecessor Joe Biden, while boasting of the “victories” the US and Israel accomplished together during his first term.

He notes that he “ended the last administration’s de facto arms embargo” against Israel.

The Biden administration has repeatedly denied this accusation, saying it only withheld one shipment of 2,000-lb bombs.

Trump pledges to further bolster the US-Israeli partnership and expand the Abraham Accords.

He says he and Netanyahu during their meeting earlier today discussed their joint effort to “ensure Hamas is eliminated.”

Trump insists his plan for Gaza is for the betterment of “everybody in the Middle East.”

Asked if he backs Israel annexing West Bank, Trump says he’ll likely make announcement in next 4 weeks

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — Asked again whether he’d back Israel annexing the West Bank, US President Donald Trump says he’ll likely be “making an announcement” on the matter at some point in the next four weeks.

“We’re discussing that with many of your representatives. You’re represented very well… [but] we haven’t been taking a position on it yet,” Trump says during a press conference to a reporter who signals they support annexation.

Regarding the hostages, Trump says the sides are going into phase two of the deal and that the US would get “somewhat more violent” if Hamas did not release all of the hostages, “because they would have broken their word.” He says he believes the deal can be completed.

Trump: US will ‘take over’ Gaza, ‘own’ it, develop it, then make it an ‘international’ area

US President Donald Trump (right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, February 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — In comments shocking the entire press corps, US President Donald Trump says he wants the US to “take over” Gaza and “own” the Strip in order to rebuild the coastal enclave after it was leveled in the past 15 months of war.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site… and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out [and] create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” Trump says during a press conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He doesn’t specify who those jobs will be for, given that he is also calling for all Palestinians to be removed from Gaza.

“I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy,” he says, and then refers to Gaza as potentially “the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent.”

He says he hopes the current Gaza ceasefire will yield “a larger and more ending peace that will end the bloodshed and killing once and for all.”

Trump later clarifies that the “world’s people” will be the ones to live in Gaza once the US finishes rebuilding it. He says the Palestinians can be among them, adding that it will be an “international” area.

He reiterates his belief that Palestinians should be removed from the “hell hole” of Gaza, but this time makes the statement while reading from prepared remarks, further indicating that this has become the administration’s official policy and not an off-the-cuff idea.

Gaza “should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people,” Trump says.

Trump says Gaza’s population of roughly 1.8 million people should be transferred to countries “of interest with humanitarian hearts.”

“There are many of them that want to do this,” Trump claims.

Trump says one or multiple countries could take in Palestinians from Gaza.

Trump says the rebuilding of Gaza could be “paid for by neighboring countries a great wealth.” Gazans could go to up to 12 sites elsewhere — where “they won’t be shot and killed.” Today, “it’s a demolition site.”

In his prepared remarks, Trump also says he has ended the previous administration’s “de facto arms embargo” on Israel,” and that earlier today he took the US out of the “antisemitic UN Human Rights Council” and “ended all of the support” for the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, “which funneled money to Hamas and which was very disloyal to humanity.”

He says he has reinstituted the “maximum pressure” policy on Iran and will “enforce the most aggressive possible sanctions,” drive Iranian exports to zero and diminish the regime’s capacity to fund terror throughout the region and throughout the world.”