Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Rubio asserts Trump only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to the media during a joint news conference with Guatemala's President Bernardo Arevalo (not in picture) at the Culture Palace in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 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.”
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