The ideal of remaining on one’s land despite threats of expulsion is at the heart of the Palestinians’ struggle and self-identity, and was on vivid display last week when hundreds of thousands returned to northern Gaza despite its near-total destruction.

During his press conference, Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia was not demanding a Palestinian homeland. But statements from Saudi officials since then contradict this narrative and point to increasingly divergent views on Gaza – and indeed, the future of Palestine – between Riyadh and Washington.

In interviews, some Palestinians said they would rather leave Gaza, given the inescapable devastation — but the decision was theirs, not Trump’s, to make.

President Donald Trump said the United States would take over war-ravaged Gaza and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling Palestinians elsewhere, shattering decades of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump and top national security aides had spoken earlier in the day about their belief that Gaza was uninhabitable and about a proposal to relocate nearly 2 million Palestinians t

World leaders rejected President Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza, permanently move Palestinians and turn the enclave into a “Riviera” of the Middle East.

Trump, in an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes resettling millions of Palestinians to neighboring countries.