Trump renews call for U.S. to take Gaza, make it a 'freedom zone'
May 15, 2025
DOHA, Qatar — President Donald Trump on Thursday said he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip and make it a “freedom zone,” renewing his call for an idea that had faded from his regular discourse about the region since his unveiling of it stunned the world.
“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good — make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” Trump said, going on to lament that the “Gaza problem” has never been solved.
The president made the comments during a roundtable discussion with U.S. and Qatari officials as well as business leaders in Doha before departing for the United Arab Emirates.
He noted the current state of destruction in the Palestinian territory amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and added that the U.S. is “working very hard” on it.
“I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” said Trump.
The comments brought into the spotlight once again Trump’s desire for the territory, which has not been a focus publicly during his whirlwind four-day Middle East trip that is taking him to three energy-rich nations and on which he has inked billions of dollars worth of investment deals.
The president first pitched the concept in early February at a news conference while standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what marked the first visit to the White House from a foreign leader since Trump's return to power. At the time, he said he envisioned the U.S. turning Gaza into an “economic development” that could become the “riviera of the Middle East.”
His assertion a week later while hosting the leader of Jordan that the U.S. wouldn’t need to purchase the land and instead could just “have it” under “U.S. authority” was never clarified. And his proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other Arab countries received tepid and skeptical response from such nations.
Since then, the ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas that was put into place just as Trump was entering office again has expired and the U.S. president’s pitch for the Gaza Strip has taken a back seat, including on his Middle East tour. Another ceasefire deal and the release of the remaining hostages remain elusive, and Israel has conducted heavy bombing in recent days.
In general, Trump has kept his comments on Gaza and the war fairly brief over his time in the region this week, although he has celebrated the release of Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage taken on Oct. 7, 2023, on the same day he set off for the trip Monday.
He has also pushed back on the idea that not adding a stop in Israel while in the region is any slight to the country or Netanyahu, telling reporters that it is “good for Israel” for him to have relationships with the Arab nations he is visiting.
Qatar, where Trump made the comments on Thursday, has been crucial in facilitating communication between the U.S. and Hamas and helping secure past ceasefire deals.
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