United States President Donald Trump has said he may give parts of Gaza to other countries in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said the war-ravaged enclave, Gaza, should be thought of as a "big real estate site".
According to the US president, other countries in the Middle East could be tasked with handling its redevelopment.
"As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it [Gaza] to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it; other people may do it, through our auspices," Trump said while en route to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl.
"If we could give them a home in a safer area - the only reason they are talking about returning to Gaza is they don't have an alternative. When they have an alternative, they don't want to return to Gaza," he added.
Just last week, Trump announced after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would "take over" the Gaza Strip and transform it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
According to Trump's plan, the Palestinian inhabitants of the area would be removed from Gaza and accommodated in other Arab states.
But his statement was met with world-wide criticism and outrage from Arab states.
Other United States officials later sought to qualify Trump's plans, even as the US president doubled-down on his statement in a post on his Truth Social platform.
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