Washington, 26 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Arab nations should increase the number of Palestinian refugees they accept from the Gaza Strip, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted. The subsequent war in Gaza has left the coastal strip in ruins and created a humanitarian catastrophe.

Trump said the Gaza Strip was "literally a demolition site," according to journalists with the president.

"Almost everything is demolished and people are dying there so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change," he said.

"You’re talking about a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know over the centuries it's had many, many conflicts. And I don’t know, something has to happen," Trump said.

He had spoken with Jordanian King Abdullah earlier in the day. Trump complimented Jordan on accepting Palestinian refugees and said he told the king: "I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess."

Trump plans to talk with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Sunday.

The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry has recorded more than 47,000 deaths in Gaza since the beginning of the war. Its figures do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

Photo: MIA archive