President Donald Trump reaffirmed that the United States intends to take control of the Gaza Strip without making any financial transaction, dismissing earlier remarks suggesting a potential purchase. Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump reiterated his plan to remove the 2.1 million Palestinians currently living in Gaza and resettle them in neighboring nations.

“We're going to have Gaza. We don't have to buy. There's nothing to buy. We will have Gaza,” Trump stated when questioned about his previous comments on acquiring the war-torn area, The Independent reports.

He elaborated: “We're going to take it, we're going to hold it, we're going to cherish it. We're going to get it going eventually, where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East. It's going to be for the people in the Middle East.”

Trump has repeatedly suggested that countries like Jordan and Egypt could accommodate displaced Palestinians, an idea both governments have firmly rejected. He claimed that residents of Gaza would be eager to leave, arguing that their current living conditions are untenable following more than a year of conflict sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.

“Look at the way they're living now. Nobody's nobody's living like that in the entire world. They're living under buildings that are mostly fallen down and will continue to fall down, and they're living under people are being killed every day. The conditions are horrible. There are no conditions anywhere in the world that are worse than the Gaza Strip,” he said.

King Abdullah, whose country receives significant American aid and hosts a large Palestinian-origin population, did not publicly contradict Trump’s plan. Instead, he confirmed that the U.S. president intends to bring together Arab leaders for discussions at the White House, with further meetings set to take place in Saudi Arabia.

“We will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the President and with the United States. So I think let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the President and not get ahead of us,” Abdullah told reporters.

When pressed on whether Jordan would accept more Palestinian refugees, Abdullah avoided a direct response, saying he must prioritize his country’s interests. However, he did confirm that Jordan would admit 2,000 Palestinian children for medical treatment.