'I would love to have the US make Gaza a freedom zone'

President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his desire to take over the Gaza Strip, telling a business roundtable in Qatar that the US would “make it a freedom zone” and arguing there was nothing left to save in the Palestinian territory.

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Speaking to a group of officials and business leaders in Qatar, Trump said he has “concepts for Gaza that I think are very good: Make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved.”

Trump said he had seen “aerial shots where, I mean, there’s practically no building standing. It's not like you're trying to save something. There's no buildings. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable.”

“I want to see that (Gaza) be a freedom zone. And if it's necessary, I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone. Let some good things happen.”

Trump first pitched his Gaza idea in February, saying the US would redevelop it and force Palestinians to go elsewhere. The plan drew global condemnation, with Palestinians, Arab nations and the UN saying it would amount to ethnic cleansing.

However, Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Thursday Gaza was not for sale, after Trump said he wanted the United States to “take” the war-ravaged territory and turn it into a “freedom zone.”

“Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian land - it is not real estate for sale on the open market. We remain firmly committed to our land and our national cause, and we are prepared to make every sacrifice to preserve our homeland and secure our people's future,” Naim said in a statement.