Former President Donald Trump has proposed resettling Palestinians outside of Gaza, a significant departure from decades of U.S. policy that has supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump floated this idea on Saturday, highlighting a plan that could involve neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt hosting Palestinian refugees.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump described the situation in Gaza as dire, citing widespread destruction and loss of life.

“You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump said.

“Something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations.”

Trump suggested that Palestinians could be resettled “in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.”

Audio of Trump on Gaza: I’d like Egypt to take people and I’d like Jordan to take people. You’re talking about a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing… pic.twitter.com/rPyQYgMhHJ

— Acyn (@Acyn) January 26, 2025

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, quickly dismissed Trump’s proposal. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, criticized the notion, arguing that Palestinians in Gaza have long endured hardships to remain on their ancestral land.

“The Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have endured death and destruction over 15 months in one of humanity’s greatest crimes of the 21st century, simply to stay on their land and homeland,” Naim said in a statement to The New York Times.

“Therefore, they will not accept any proposals or solutions, even if seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction, as proposed by U.S. President Trump.”

Jordan, which already hosts over 2 million Palestinian refugees, acknowledged a recent discussion between Trump and King Abdullah II.

However, the official statement from Jordan’s state news agency did not reference Trump’s resettlement plan.

Egypt has not publicly commented on the proposal.

Both countries have historically resisted calls to permanently absorb large numbers of Palestinian refugees, citing concerns over sovereignty and the importance of upholding Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland.

Trump’s idea received praise from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party.

Smotrich framed the resettlement plan as an opportunity for Gaza’s population to start anew.

“After 76 years in which most of the Gaza population was forcibly held in difficult conditions in order to preserve the ambition to destroy the State of Israel, the idea of ​​helping them find other places to start a new good life is a great idea,” Smotrich said.

Trump’s proposal marks a significant shift from the longstanding U.S. policy of advocating for a two-state solution, which envisions both Israel and Palestine existing as independent nations.

Critics argue that resettling Palestinians outside of Gaza could undermine their aspirations for statehood and further complicate the region’s already fragile dynamics.

While Trump’s comments have reignited debates over the future of Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they also highlight the complexities surrounding refugee resettlement and the broader political tensions in the region.