Republican senator slams Trump's Gaza ‘take over’ proposal

WASHINGTON

A Republican senator on Wednesday criticized US President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over the Gaza Strip.”

"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," Rand Paul wrote on X.

His remarks came one day after Trump said at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US "will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too" and send in US troops if necessary and turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

Paul attached his comment to a repost of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s post which said "Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas."

"As @POTUS 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," Rubio said.

Trump’s proposal came after a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,500 Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.