Donald Trump announces US aims to ‘take over’ Gaza during Netanyahu’s visit
United States President Donald Trump has welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, marking the first visit of a foreign leader during his second term. But Tuesday’s meeting was steeped in controversy as Trump repeatedly weighed in on the future of war-torn Gaza — and whether Palestinians should return to live in the enclave. “Gaza is a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again,” Trump said. “It’s happened over and over again. And it’s going to happen again.” “So I hope we can do something where they wouldn’t want to go back. Who would want to go back? They’ve experienced nothing but death and destruction.” Trump also suggested that the US aims to “take over” a depopulated Gaza, shaping its landscape for years to come. “ I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs.” Advertisement A fragile ceasefire recently paused hostilities in Gaza where, for the past 15 months, Israel has led a devastating military campaign that has killed an estimated 61,700 Palestinians. United Nations experts and human rights advocates have compared the military campaign with a genocide. But the US remains a firm ally of Israel – and of Netanyahu’s government. In remarks after his bilateral meeting with Netanyahu, Trump returned to a vision he had outlined earlier in the day, in which Palestinians would be settled “permanently” in “a beautiful area” outside of Gaza. Such comments have spurred fears that Trump would support the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, and nearby countries like Egypt and Jordan have repeatedly rejected the prospect of absorbing Gaza’s population. “I think Jordan and Egypt – they say they’re not going to accept, but I say they will. But I think other countries will accept also,” Trump said. A close ally Tuesday’s bilateral meeting was set against a period of regional turmoil in the Middle East. Recent ceasefires have slowed hostilities in Lebanon and Gaza. A new government has risen in Syria. And there are growing tensions between Iran and Israel. Before arriving in the US on Sunday, Netanyahu underscored the symbolism of being the first foreign head of state to visit Trump since the president’s second inauguration on January 20. “I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance,” Netanyahu said in a statement. The two countries indicated that a range of topics would be on the table for discussion, including the ceasefire agreements, the future of Gaza and efforts to normalise relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Advertisement In the lead-up to Tuesday’s meeting, Trump also signed a series of executive orders and directives, some of which pertained to goals he shares with Netanyahu. One announced the return of his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Another saw the US withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council and UNRWA, the relief agency for Palestinian refugees. Netanyahu’s government has accused UNRWA of involvement in the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, without offering proof to substantiate the claim. The Israeli leader’s visit was greeted by protesters calling for a “free, free, free Palestine”. Some activists denounced his invitation to the White House as an honour bestowed on a “war criminal”: In November, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Still, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to Netanyahu at Tuesday’s news conference. “The bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable,” Trump said. Netanyahu responded with praise of his own: “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” Ceasefire in Gaza The tenuous ceasefire in Gaza was a central part of the two leaders’ latest meeting. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, the day before he took office. He blamed the foreign policy of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the war in Gaza to begin in the first place. Advertisement “Nobody did anything for four years except in the negative,” Trump said at one point, referring to Biden’s term in office. “Unfortunately, the weakness and incompetence of those past four years [caused] the grave damage around the globe.” Still, Trump has cast doubt on the strength of the ceasefire and whether it would last. “The strikes could start tomorrow,” Trump said on Tuesday. “There’s not a lot left to strike.” The initial 42-day truce, which will see the release of 33 Israeli captives and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, expires on March 1. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Palestinian group Hamas said that negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire have begun. If agreed to, that phase would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the freeing of all captives. But Trump lashed out at the group in his remarks, praising Israel’s efforts to cut off resources to Gaza. “We starved Hamas and Iran’s other terrorist proxies, and we starved them like they had never seen before. Resources and support disappeared for them,” Trump said. US to ‘take over’ Gaza? The president also renewed his call for a mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, despite human rights experts warning that it would amount to ethnic cleansing. “ It’s been an unlucky place for a long time,” Trump said of Gaza. “ And it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there.” Advertisement He added that Palestinians would “love to leave” if given an alternative. “They
Trump says US will ‘own’ Gaza in redevelopment plan
United States President Donald Trump has said the US will “take over” and “own” Gaza after resettling Palestinians elsewhere under a redevelopment plan that could see the enclave become “the Riviera of the Middle East”. In a shock announcement upending decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump said on Tuesday that his administration would spearhead an economic development plan in the enclave that would “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said at the White on Tuesday after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that Washington would be responsible for clearing destroyed buildings and dismantling “dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons.” Trump said he envisioned the US taking a “long-term ownership position” over the enclave. “This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” he said. Advertisement Trump expressed his hope that displaced Palestinians in Gaza would “go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts”, though he suggested Palestinians would also continue leaving there. The US president said Gaza could become home to the “world’s people”. “I think you will make that into an international, unbelievable place. I think the potential in the Gaza Strip is unbelievable. And I think the entire world – representatives from all over the world will be now – Palestinians also, Palestinians will live there,” he said. “Many people will live there.” “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too.” –President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/aCqLl9Gwwn — President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 5, 2025 Asked if US soldiers could be sent to Gaza to maintain security, Trump said it was a possibility. “As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” he said. Netanyahu, who praised Trump as the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had, said the US president’s plan was worth “paying attention to” and could “change history”. Trump’s proposals drew swift condemnation from Palestinian activists. “He’s essentially saying that, officially US policy now is the destruction of Palestinian society, the scattering of Palestinians to neighboring countries, and on top of that for US to come and own Palestinian territory indefinitely,” political analysts Omar Baddar told Al Jazeera. “I don’t know what planet we are living on where these statements are coming out of the president of the United States.” Advertisement Abed Ayoub, executive director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), described Trump’s proposal as “terrifying” and “insane.” “It would go against all norms and international law. This isn’t something that would be permitted to happen,” Ayoub told Al Jazeera. “But at this point, you’ve got to ask yourself if you look at the past year and a half: how much does the international community, including Israel, really care about international law and norms?” Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian-American who is a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that Gaza was not a “real estate development project for the United States government to own or take over.” “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people. Distracting from the need to initiate political transformation to ensure that Hamas doesn’t remain in control is unnecessary and harmful,” Alkhatib said on X. Democratic lawmakers also cast doubt on Trump’s proposal. “I have news for you – we aren’t taking over Gaza. But the media and the chattering class will focus on it for a few days and Trump will have succeeded in distracting everyone from the real story – the billionaires seizing government to steal from regular people,” Chris Murphy, a Democratic Senator for Connecticut, said on X. Trump’s extraordinary proposal is all but certain to roil the next round negotiations to extend the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, the day before he took office. Advertisement He blamed the foreign policy of his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the war in Gaza to begin in the first place. “Nobody did anything for four years except in the negative,” Trump said at one point during his news conference, referring to Biden’s term in office. “Unfortunately, the weakness and incompetence of those past four years [caused] the grave damage around the globe.” Still, Trump has cast doubt on the strength of the ceasefire and whether it would last. “The strikes could start tomorrow,” Trump said on Tuesday. “There’s not a lot left to strike.” The initial 42-day truce, which will see the release of 33 Israeli captives and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, expires on March 1. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Palestinian group Hamas said that negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire had begun. If agreed to, that phase would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the freeing of all captives. But Trump lashed out at the group in his remarks, praising Israel’s efforts to cut off resources to Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump doubles down on US “ownership” of Gaza
NewsFeed In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump doubled down on remarks about the United States owning and redeveloping Gaza. “It’s something that could change history,” Netanyahu added. Published On 5 Feb 20255 Feb 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Democratic lawmakers slam Elon Musk’s access to Treasury Department: ‘We are at war’
Democratic congressional lawmakers on Tuesday gathered to passionately voice opposition to Elon Musk’s access to a Treasury Department office responsible for disbursing payments, days after they were told to punch back against the Trump administration. The House lawmakers have come out against Musk after he was granted access to a Treasury department called the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses trillions in payments each year, including Social Security checks and federal salaries, through DOGE, which is tasked with reducing federal spending. “Shut down the city! We are at war!” U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., shouted into a microphone as supporters cheered during a rally hosted by the MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible and the Working Families Party. “We will not take this. We will fight back.” ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE Mclver called for protesters to “shut down the city.” “Anytime a person can pay $250 million into a campaign, and they be given full access to the Department of the Treasury of the United States of America, we are at war,” she said. Over the weekend, Musk cited “fraudulent” Treasury payments in a post on X. “The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups,” he wrote. “They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once.” Trump said Musk has authority to let “go of people he thinks are no good if I agree with him.” The president noted that Musk can’t stop Treasury payments on his own. “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval,” Trump said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. In a letter Tuesday to federal lawmakers, a Treasury Department official said a tech executive working with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will have “read-only access” to the government’s payment system. The letter was sent because of concerns from members of Congress that DOGE’s involvement with the payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM However, some Democrats aren’t convinced DOGE and Musk have read-only access. “Some Republicans are trying to suggest that Musk only has ‘viewing access’ to Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system as if that’s acceptable either,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., said he had concerns about Musk having control over taxpayer funds. “He has access to all of our information, our Social Security numbers, the federal payment system, which means he is calling the shots on our taxpayer money,” he said. “There is absolutely no oversight as to what he is doing. What is to stop him from stealing taxpayer money? Nothing.” The protest came after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pledged that Democrats would fight President Donald Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” “Right now, we’re going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans across the country with the bill,” Jeffries said last week.
Trump-nominated former NFL player clears Senate hurdle, paving way for confirmation
Scott Turner, a former NFL player and Texas state lawmaker, advanced past a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday night, teeing up a final confirmation vote to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) later this week. The nomination cleared the procedural vote by a margin of 55-45, with two Democrats joining Republicans. President Donald Trump announced Turner as his choice to be HUD secretary soon after his November election last year. BERNIE SANDERS, JOSH HAWLEY TEAM UP ON TRUMP PLEDGE TO SLASH CREDIT CARD RATES TO 10% In Trump’s previous administration, Dr. Ben Carson, a former GOP presidential candidate, led HUD. Turner notably played in the NFL for nine seasons after being drafted in 1995. The defensive back spent time playing for the Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. After leaving the league, he ran for office in his home state of Texas, where he served for several years. In Trump’s announcement, he touted Turner’s work in his last administration as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). He explained that the nominee “lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” TULSI GABBARD ADVANCES OUT OF INTEL COMMITTEE IN BOOST TO CONFIRMATION ODDS “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!” he added. In Turner’s hearing last month before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, he testified that he wants to fix broken policy areas and ween Americans off of government assistance. He explained that it is his goal “to help people get off government assistance, become self-sustainable and achieve the American dream.”
Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general
The Senate voted late Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, voting 54-46 to install the longtime prosecutor and former Florida attorney general to head the U.S. Department of Justice. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party to make the vote bipartisan. He was the only Democrat to join Republicans in support of the nominee. Bondi’s confirmation comes as both the Justice Department and FBI have been under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress who have raised concerns over Trump’s recent decision to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,600 defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and to oust more than 15 inspectors general and special counsel investigators. FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations. But U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sparked fresh concerns last week after he directed the acting FBI director to identify all current and former bureau employees assigned to the Jan. 6 cases for internal review. The effort prompted FBI agents to file two separate lawsuits Tuesday seeking emergency injunctive relief in federal court, arguing in the lawsuits that any effort by the DOJ or FBI to review or discriminate against agents involved in the Jan. 6 probe would be both “unlawful and retaliatory” and a violation of civil service protections. Bondi has repeatedly said she will not use her position to advance any political agenda, a refrain she returned to many times during her hours-long confirmation hearing. “Politics has to be taken out of this system,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. TRUMP AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI ADVANCES TO FINAL SENATE VOTE Bondi’s nomination earned praise both from Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber for her composure and her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. She was widely expected to glide to confirmation after the hearing, and her nomination had earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines. Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proven to be more as a consensus builder than a bridge-burner. ‘UNLIKELY COALITION’: A CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ADVOCATE SEES OPPORTUNITIES IN A SECOND TRUMP TERM “It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials — much less Attorneys General — to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” former Justice Department officials wrote in a letter urging her confirmation. Bondi’s former colleagues in Florida also told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington, this time, with an eye toward cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border. Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview he was stunned when Bondi called him after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar. He also praised Bondi for staring down political challenges before noting that when she took office in Florida, Bondi “received a lot of pushback” from members of the Republican Party” for certain actions, including appointing a Democrat to a top office. “But she stood up to them, and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,” Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. “So, that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll right the ship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy not politics.” In floor remarks Monday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience and her time as a public servant, noting that she made history as the first female attorney general in Florida. Bondi “fought against pill mills, eliminated the backlog of rape test kits and stood for law and order,” Grassley told lawmakers shortly before the Senate cloture vote, noting that Bondi “was easily re-elected to a second term” as state attorney general “because she did such a great job.”
USAID missions overseas ordered to shut down, staff being recalled: report
Overseas missions for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been told to shut down and that staffers were being recalled to the United States by Friday. CBS News reported that Peter Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department who was tapped by State Department Secretary Marco Rubio to run USAID, told the agency’s leadership that those who do not comply will be evacuated by the military. Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID and the State Department. MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT USAID has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration over what it is spending. “For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday. USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration, critics say. During an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Rubio said USAID has “basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN “That they are a global charity. That they take the taxpayer money and spend it as a global charity, irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest,” he said. The goal was always to reform the agency, Rubio said, but that “now we have rank insubordination.” “Their basic attitude is: ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves’,” he said. “‘No agency of government can tell us what to do’.” Rubio said a common complaint among U.S. embassies around the world is that USAID isn’t cooperative and “undermines the work that we’re doing.” On Tuesday, Sen. Jodi Ernst, R-Iowa, said every dollar given to USAID needs to be scrutinized. In a series of posts on X, Erst noted millions in aid that were allegedly funneled to fund good causes ended up in the hands of bad actors. WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS? She noted $9 million in humanitarian aid to feed civilians in Syria that allegedly ended up in the hands of terrorists, as well as another $2 million spent on Moroccan pottery classes and promotion. Other projects included trade assistance to Ukraine to pay for models to attend Fashion Weeks events in New York City, London and Paris and millions spent to help Afghans grow crops instead of opium. “The results: opium poppy cultivation across the country nearly doubled, according to the UN,” she wrote. “USAID asked, ‘Can you tell me how to get how to get to Sesame Street?’ and ended up in Iraq,” she wrote in another post. “USAID authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq.”
‘Level it’: Trump says US will ‘take over’ Gaza strip and rebuild it to stabilize Middle East
The U.S. will “take over the Gaza strip,” level it and rebuild the area, President Donald Trump said during a press conference Tuesday evening after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. “We’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored 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,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.” Netanyahu, who joined Trump for the Tuesday press conference, is the first world leader to meet with the president at the White House under his second administration. When asked about taking over the Gaza Strip, Trump said he could see the U.S. in a “long term ownership position” of the piece of land, which would likely bring stability to the Middle East. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE “I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “And everybody I’ve spoken to — this was not a decision made lightly — everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land. Developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble.” Netanyahu, when also asked about the Gaza Strip, reiterated to the media that he has three goals, one of which is to “make sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.” “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” the Israeli leader said. “He sees a different — he sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much so many attacks against us, so many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this.” The pair’s White House meeting included discussing the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and its future, Iran’s grip on the Middle East and resettling Gaza residents in other nations. ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING “In our meetings today, the prime minister and I focused on the future, discussing how we can work together to ensure Hamas is eliminated and ultimately restore peace to a very troubled region,” Trump said during the press conference. “It’s been troubled, but what’s happened in the last four years has not been good.” Trump said that the Gaza Strip has become “a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.” “It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he added. TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK Netanyahu lauded Trump’s tenacity and ability “to think outside the box” during his comments to the press. “Your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time and time again, your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas, will help us achieve all these goals,” he said. “And I’ve seen you do this many times. You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say, you know. And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads and they say, you know, he’s right.” The Israeli leader continued that his nation’s victory will also be a win for America. “Israel’s victory will be America’s victory,” Netanyahu said. “We will not only win the war working together, we will win the peace. With your leadership, Mr. President, and our partnership, I believe that we will forge a brilliant future for our region and bring our great alliance to even greater heights.”
Israeli prime minister lauds Trump’s leadership when asked if Biden should take credit for ceasefire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded President Donald Trump’s leadership when asked who should take credit for the ceasefire deal reached in the waning days of the Biden administration. “Prime Minister Netanyahu, we’ve heard Joe Biden and Donald Trump take credit for the hostage and ceasefire deal. Who do you think deserves more credit?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Netanyahu as he joined Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “I think President Trump had a great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it,” Netanyahu responded. “He sent a very good emissary. He’s helped a lot. And, you know, I’ll just tell you, I’m happy that they’re here. And I’m sure the president is happy that they’re here. And I would think that’s about enough.” Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal Jan. 15, just days before Biden exited the White House, and Trump entered it, on Jan. 20. The ceasefire followed a meeting between Trump’s then-incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Netanyahu. TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK Credit for the ceasefire was claimed by both Biden and Trump, with the 46th president taking a victory lap for the achievement in the opening remarks of his farewell address to the nation. “After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year,” Biden said in his farewell address. “This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.” At another point of Tuesday’s joint press conference, Netanyahu argued that chances of peace in the Middle East increase when he and Trump — and Israel and the U.S. overall — work side by side. TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN “When Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, you know, the chances go up a lot [to reach the second phase of the ceasefire deal],” he said. “It’s when we don’t work together, when Israel and the United States don’t work together, that creates problems. When the other side sees daylight between us, and occasionally in the last few years … then it’s more difficult.” Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House to discuss the ceasefire deal’s future, and Iran’s grip in the Middle East and resettling Gaza residents in other nations. Iran has been at the forefront of Hamas’ war on Israel, assisting in funding the effort. Trump said during the press conference that war would not have broken out if he had been president back on Oct. 7, 2023 — citing that Iran was financially hobbled under his first administration. “Iran was in big trouble when I left. They were broke,” Trump said. “They didn’t have money for Hamas. They didn’t have any money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7th could have never happened when I left.” ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU DEPARTS FOR US TO MEET WITH TRUMP, HOPING TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH WASHINGTON Netanyahu vowed during the press conference that he would bring home the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity, while adding that “Hamas is not going to be in Gaza” much longer. Trump added that Gaza is too dangerous for even the soldiers currently on the ground. “It’s too dangerous for people. Nobody wants to be there,” he said. “Warriors don’t want to be there. Soldiers don’t want to be there. How can you have people go back? You’re saying go back into Gaza now? The same thing’s going to happen.” “It’ll only be death,” he said.
First images released of migrant flights to Gitmo as Trump ramps up deportations
The first flight of migrants to Guantanamo Bay took off Tuesday, and Fox News Digital obtained some of the first images of migrants boarding a military plane for a detention center. Trump announced last week he would instruct the Pentagon to prepare the site to hold around 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” at the military base. “I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY “And so President Trump, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem are already delivering on this promise to utilize that capacity at Gitmo for illegal criminals who have broken our nation’s immigration laws and then have further committed heinous crimes against lawful American citizens here at home.” The first flight was scheduled to leave Fort Bliss with about a dozen migrants on board. They will be separated from the 15 detainees already there, who include alleged 9/11 planners, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. “Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said last week of the migrants being sent there. “We’re going to send them to Guantanamo.” TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN About 380 service members are supporting the holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday, adding that the number of service members will continue to fluctuate based on DHS requirements. The Trump administration has not said how much it would cost to expand Guantanamo, which was established in 2002 to detain foreign militants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE It’s part of a broader effort by the administration to launch a “historic” deportation operation. Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela had agreed to take back its nationals who are in the U.S. illegally, days after a diplomatic spat with Colombia that resulted in that nation also agreeing to take back flights of illegal immigrants. Trump on his first day in office deployed the military to the border and declared a national emergency, while also enacting measures to prevent migrants from being able to claim asylum in the U.S. DHS has since taken a number of measures to free up ICE agents to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and officers are frequently arresting over 1,000 a day. Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.