Trump’s declaration US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip sparks global condemnation – live | Israel-Gaza war

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Death toll in Gaza reaches 47,552, says Hamas-run health ministry

The death toll in Gaza since the start of Israeli operations in the territory after the 7 October attacks now stands at 47,552, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ministry’s latest daily update also said the number of people injured has reached 111,629.

Last week, Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation, said the agency considered the ministry’s figures reliable and that they were in fact probably an underestimate.

“Let’s not forget, the official death toll given by the Ministry of Health is deaths accounted in morgues and in hospitals, so in official facilities,” she said.

“As people go back to their houses, as they will start looking for their loved ones under the rubble, this casualty figure is expected to increase.”

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Updated at 10.32 EST

What did Trump say about Gaza?

We’ve been reporting today on the international reaction to proposals made by President Trump about the future of Gaza.

In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap of what he said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the White House on Tuesday evening, Trump suggested the US could take control of the territory and that the Palestinians could live out their lives in “peace and harmony” elsewhere.

“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,” he said.

“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.

“We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal. The Riveria of the Middle East. This could be so magnificent.”

Asked whether US troops might be sent to help secure Gaza, he said: “We’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that.”

He was also questioned about whether he would support the idea of Israel assuming sovereignty over the West Bank, replying that the administration would be “making an announcement probably on that very specific topic over the next four weeks”.

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Updated at 10.07 EST

Global reaction to Trump’s declaration US will ‘take over’ Gaza Strip

President Donald Trump said the United States would take over the Gaza Strip after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere.

Here are some global reactions to the announcement, according to a roundup from Reuters:

Saudi Arabian foreign ministry:

Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances.”

UK prime minister, Keir Starmer:

“They (Palestinians) must be allowed home, they must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”

German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock:

Baerbock said the Gaza Strip belongs to Palestinians and their expulsion would be unacceptable and contrary to international law. “It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred … There must be no solution over the heads of the Palestinians.”

French foreign ministry spokeperson, Christophe Lemoine:

France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza, which would constitute a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, but also a major obstacle to the two-state solution and a major destabilising factor for our close partners Egypt and Jordan as well as for the entire region.”

Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Albares:

I want to be very clear on this: Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza. Gaza is part of the future Palestinian state Spain supports and has to coexist guaranteeing the Israeli state’s prosperity and safety.”

Egyptian foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty:

Abdelatty discussed with Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Mustafa, the importance of moving forward with recovery projects in Gaza without Palestinians leaving the territory.

Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov:

Russia believes a settlement in the Middle East is only possible on the basis of a two-state solution:

This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant UN security council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option.”

Chinese foreign ministry:

China hopes all parties will take ceasefire and post-conflict governance as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian issue back on the right track of political settlement based on the two-state solution.”

Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan:

Trump’s comments on a plan to take over Gaza are “unacceptable”. Any plans leaving Palestinians “out of the equation” would lead to more conflict.

UN human rights office:

It is crucial that we move towards the next phase of the ceasefire, to release all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, end the war and reconstruct Gaza, with full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited.”

Senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri:

Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass … What is required is to end the (Israeli) occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land.”

Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Palestinian leadership:

Abbas said the Palestinians will not relinquish their land, rights and sacred sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Senior Iranian official:

Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels.”

Irish foreign minister, Simon Harris:

It’s very clear the direction of travel here: we need a two state solution, and the people of Palestine and the people of Israel both have a right to live in states safely side by side, and that’s where the focus has to be. Any idea of displacing the people of Gaza anywhere else would be in clear contradiction with UN security council resolutions.”

Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese:

Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year. The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution.”

Palestine Liberation Organization secretary general, Hussein al-Sheikh:

The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace.”

Islamic Jihad:

Trump’s positions and plans are a dangerous escalation that threaten Arab and regional national security, especially in Egypt and Jordan, which the US administration wants to put in confrontation with the Palestinian people and their rights.”

Former Israeli minister for national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir:

Ben-Gvir said that “encouraging” Palestinians to migrate from the territory was the only correct strategy at the end of the war in Gaza. He urged Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to adopt that policy “immediately”.

Democratic and Palestinian-American US representative, Rashida Tlaib:

Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.”

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Palestinians “must be allowed home”, Keir Starmer has said in the wake of Donald Trump’s proposal to remove people from the Gaza Strip and put the territory under US control.

The prime minister told the Commons during prime minister’s questions that Palestinians “must be allowed to rebuild and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution”.

His comments come after the US president suggested the “Riviera of the Middle East” could be created and said he did not think “people should be going back” to Gaza. Trump’s idea has been widely condemned as ethnic cleansing, given it would be a breach of international law.

While Starmer did not directly criticise the US president’s plan, he said:

The most important issue on the ceasefire is obviously it’s sustained, we see it through the phases, and that means that the remaining hostages come out, and the aid that’s desperately needed gets into Gaza at speed and at the volumes that are needed.

I have from the last few weeks two images fixed in my mind. The first is the image of Emily Damari reunited with her mother, which I found extremely moving. The second was the image of thousands of Palestinians walking, literally walking, through the rubble to try to find their homes and their communities in Gaza. They must be allowed home. They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”

Starmer was responding to a question from the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, who asked for reassurance that the “concerns on these dangerous statements from the president will be communicated to the White House directly and firmly”.

Davey told Starmer:

Many of us were alarmed to hear President Trump speak about forcibly displacing 1.8 million people from Gaza.”

He added:

I’m glad that the foreign secretary has confirmed that the government’s position is still a two-state solution, I think that has support on all sides of the house, but will he reassure the house that this position and our concerns on these dangerous statements from the president will be communicated to the White House directly and firmly?”

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Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks, was busy with phase two of the deal, and said it was too early to talk about the issue of Palestinians and displacement, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

“We know that there is a lot of trauma with the Palestinian side when it comes to displacement. However, again, it’s too early to talk about this, because we don’t know how this war will end,” Majed Al-Ansari said.

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Donald Trump and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed reporters at the White House, where the US president announced his intention to take over the Gaza Strip, move Palestinians to neighbouring countries and redevelop the territory for occupation by “the world’s people”, effectively endorsing the ethnic cleansing of the people of Gaza.

Here are the main takeaways from their joint press conference on Tuesday evening:

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Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Wednesday he rejected any attempts to annex land and displace Palestinians, reports Reuters.

The remarks came after US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States would take over Gaza after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically.

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The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, said Palestinians must be allowed to return to their homes in Gaza and rebuild, but ducked an invitation to criticise the US president, Donald Trump, when the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, asked whether Starmer would raise with Trump the concerns MPs have about his “dangerous statements”.

Trump’s proposal for the US to “take over” the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries has sparked global condemnation.

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Iran has options to navigate US sanctions, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday, after US president Donald Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran.

There are no additional details on Pezeshkian’s comments on Reuters but we will update when more comes in.

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UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, insisted on Wednesday that deporting people from occupied territory was strictly prohibited, after US president Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over Gaza and resettle its people.

“The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law and must be protected by all states, as the international court of justice recently underlined afresh. Any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited,” Türk said in a statement.

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UN human rights office says Trump’s Gaza plan would breach international humanitarian law

Any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory breaches international law, the UN human rights office (UNHR) said on Wednesday, in reference to Donald Trump’s claim that the US would take over the Gaza Strip and forcibly resettle the Palestinian population elsewhere.

“It is crucial that we move towards the next phase of the ceasefire, to release all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, end the war and reconstruct Gaza, with full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” said the UNHR in a statement to Reuters.

“Any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited,” it continued.

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UK prime minister: Palestinians ‘must be allowed home, allowed to rebuild’ on way to two-state solution

Speaking in parliament in London, the British prime minister Keir Starmer has said Palestinians “must be allowed home.”

Starmer was responding to a question from Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, the leader of the third largest party in the House of Commons, and told lawmakers:

The most important issue on the ceasefire is, obviously that it’s sustained, and we see it through the phases. And that means that the remaining hostages come out, and the aid that’s desperately needed gets into Gaza at speed and at the volumes that are needed.

I have from the last few weeks two images fixed in my mind. The first is the image of Emily Damari reunited with her mother, which I found extremely moving.

The second was the image of thousands of Palestinians walking, literally walking through the rubble, to try to find their homes and their communities in Gaza.

They must be allowed home. They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild, on the way to a two state solution.

Starmer did not mention US president Donald Trump by name, nor did he respond to Davey’s suggestion that he should reassure lawmakers that “our concerns on these dangerous statements from the president will be communicated to the White House directly and firmly.”

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In a statement, Israel’s Nachala Movement has responded to Donald Trump’s comments by saying “we must hurry” to settle Gaza.

Reuters reports the far-right group posted to social media saying “We must hurry and establish settlements throughout the Gaza Strip. No part of the land of Israel should be left without Jewish settlement. If an area remains desolate, it may be captured by enemies.”

Israeli settler leader Daniella Weiss has previously stated that thousands of Jewish settlers are ready to move to Gaza.

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Christy Cooney

Donald Trump has called for a “verified peace agreement” with Iran that would allow the country “peacefully grow and prosper”.

“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” he said on his Truth Social platform.

“Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens, ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED.”

Trump continued: “I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper.

“We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!”

During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, which had been agreed with Iran by the US, the UK, France, China, Russia, and the EU.

The deal limited Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, but faced widespread opposition on the American right.

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The UN’s high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, has told AFP that Donald Trump’s comments proposing the US “take over” Gaza were “surprising”.

“It’s something very surprising, but we have to see what it means in concrete terms,” Grandi said in Brussels, adding that it was difficult to comment on such a “sensitive issue”.

Trump said the US would “take over” Gaza and “own it”, effectively publicly endorsing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians after Israel has spent months bombing the densely populated territory in a military campaign which has killed tens of thousands, and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

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Updated at 07.10 EST

John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has condemned President Trump’s plans for Gaza as “unacceptable and dangerous”, saying there “must be no ethnic cleansing”.

In a post on Bluesky he said:

After months of collective punishment and the death of over 40,000 in Gaza, any suggestion Palestinians should be removed from their home is unacceptable and dangerous.

There must be no ethnic cleansing.

Only a proper two state solution will bring lasting peace.”

And Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister, whose parents-in-law were trapped in Gaza for a number of weeks in 2023 after the 7 October Hamas massacre tiggered war, has also described President Trump’s plan as “ethnic cleansing”.

In a post on social media commenting on what Trump said during his White House press conference, Yousaf said:

Why is it a living hell? Who bombed it, killing tens of thousands of people, including children, and reduced Gaza to rubble?

Also, what Trump calls “permanent resettlement” is what the rest of the world should call ethnic cleansing.

Gaza belongs to the people of Gaza. Period.”

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German foreign minister says Gaza expulsion would be unacceptable

German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip belongs to Palestinians, and their expulsion would be unacceptable and contrary to international law, reports Reuters.

“The civilian population of Gaza must not be expelled and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or repopulated,” Baerbock said in a statement. “It is clear that Gaza – like the West Bank and East Jerusalem – belongs to the Palestinians. They form the basis for a future Palestinian state.”

“It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred,” said Baerbock in a statement, adding: “There must be no solution over the heads of the Palestinians.”

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Hamas says Trump plan to take over Gaza will pour ‘oil on the fire’

Hamas on Wednesday condemned a proposal by US president Donald Trump to “take over” and “own” Gaza, saying it will fan the flames of Middle East violence.

Hamas said in a statement that the proposal “aiming for the United States to occupy the Gaza Strip” was “aggressive to our people and cause, won’t serve stability in the region and will only put oil on the fire”.

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UK’s Lammy says need to ensure future for Palestinians in their homeland

The UK’s foreign minister, David Lammy, said on Wednesday it should be ensured that Palestinians have a future in their homeland, a day after US president Donald Trump proposed resettling Palestinians and taking over Gaza to develop it.

“We’ve always been clear in our belief that we must see two states. We must see Palestinians live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza and the West Bank,” he told a news conference during a trip to Kyiv.

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