During Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters about his plans for the Gaza Strip.

“They’re there because they have to be there somehow,” Trump said of the Palestinians in Gaza. “I’ve always said, ‘If they had the opportunity to live in a better climate, they would move.’”

“I think it would be a great opportunity, but we’ll see if that opportunity materializes,” Trump said. “We are helping the people in Gaza a lot—Israel is too, by the way—so we’ll see what happens.”

A poll conducted in May showed that about half of Gaza’s residents would be willing to emigrate.

Gaza’s future

How the Gaza Strip will move forward remains uncertain, particularly regarding the disarmament of Hamas. On Monday, Trump threatened Hamas with “hellish consequences” if it does not lay down its weapons within a “very short time.”

“Hamas will be given very little time to disarm,” the U.S. president said during a press conference. “If they do not disarm as agreed, they will pay a heavy price.”

Trump said he intends to move to the second phase of the Gaza plan “as quickly as possible,” without providing a concrete timetable for the process, which has stalled as both Israel and Hamas struggle to implement various elements of the 20-point proposal.

Thus, the Gaza issue remains unresolved during Netanyahu’s visit and will continue to do so as long as Hamas remains in power there.

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