Netanyahu praises Trump's 'bold vision' for Gaza
16 February 2025, 18:37 | Updated: 16 February 2025, 19:11
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Donald Trump's "bold vision" to take over Gaza.
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After a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he would cooperate with the US on a "common strategy" to make Trump's ideas "a reality".
This comes as the American President suggested the war-torn territory could be redeveloped into the "Riviera of the Middle East".
Rubio said the plan may have "shocked and surprised" people, but praised Trump's courage for unique ideas.
The Secretary of State is visiting Israel on his first diplomatic tour of the Middle East.
He is due to meet Russian officials in Saudi Arabia for potential Russia-Ukraine peace talks - a meeting that Europe has been 'excluded' from.
At a joint press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu and Rubio expressed their desire to eradicate Hamas's governing capacity.
Rubio said: "Hamas can not continue as a military or government force."
He added: "And as long as it stands as a force that can govern or administer or a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible."
Netanyahu promised to open the "gates of hell" if all Israeli hostages were not released.
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The Israeli PM praised the US for issuing sanctions against the ICC, which made an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, over alleged war crimes in Gaza last year.
Israel denies these claims.
Earlier this week, Donald Trump restated claims that the US will take control of Gaza and rebuild it, forcibly removing Gazans from their homes and relocating them elsewhere.
Trump reiterated his claim to the war-torn strip in a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan on Tuesday, insisting that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the US and redeveloped as a tourist area.
"Palestinians will live safely in another location that is not Gaza," he said.