Rubio says US will 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'

WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his support Tuesday for President Donald Trump's plan for the US to “take over” the Gaza Strip.

"Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas," Rubio wrote on X, adding the US "stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again."

"Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people," he added.

Rubio's message came shortly after Trump said during 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."

"We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level 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.

Earlier, during a sit-down with Netanyahu at the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks Jordan and Egypt will take in Palestinians from Gaza, maintaining that the enclave is a demolition site and uninhabitable.

Jordan and Egypt, along with other regional countries, strongly rejected Trump's relocation proposal. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas also condemned his remarks, rejecting any attempts to displace them from their homeland.

"The Palestinian people and their leadership categorically reject any policies or actions aimed at undermining the unity of the Palestinian land, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” the Palestinian Presidency said in a statement.

Forcibly displacing a population without justification under international law constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).