US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at the White House, Washington, D.C. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The statement came during a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following their talks in Washington D.C. Trump described the Gaza Strip as a region plagued by decades of suffering and violence, resulting in hardship for its residents, and stated that the US needed to effect long-term change.

Trump said: "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. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area."

Trump said that Palestinians are now choosing to return to Gaza due to lack of alternatives, but said that if Palestinians in Gaza relocate to other countries in the region, the US will immediately begin developing Gaza into a prominent destination for the entire Middle East.

He said that he will soon announce the US position on Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, and that he plans to visit Gaza, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia issued a statement opposing any forced displacement of Palestinian civilians from Gaza, and declared it will not normalize relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian envoy to the UN said Palestine belongs to the Palestinian people, and Gaza is an integral part of it.