President Donald Trump said he is “not confident” that the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war will last, adding that the United States could help rebuild Gaza.
Trump, sitting in the Oval Office, made the comments following his inauguration Monday. A reporter asked whether he was confident he could “keep the ceasefire in Gaza, and conclude the three phases of the deal.”
“I’m not confident,” Trump responded. “That’s not our war, it’s their war. I’m not confident.”
Then, presumably referring to Hamas, he added, “But I think they’re very weakened on the other side.”
REPORTER: How confident are you that you can keep the ceasefire in Gaza?
TRUMP: I’m not confident. That’s not our war. It’s their war … Gaza is interesting. It’s a phenomenal location. pic.twitter.com/kiBdGHKLRV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 21, 2025
Trump and his advisers were key to finalizing the ceasefire alongside the Biden administration, and Trump has previously signaled that he is committed to seeing it through.
The ceasefire began on Sunday with the release of three Israeli hostages from Gaza and dozens of Palestinian security prisoners. After an initial six-week truce, later stages would see the Israeli military fully withdraw from Gaza along with the release of the rest of the hostages. But those phases have yet to be negotiated.
Trump has repeatedly threatened “hell to pay” if the hostages are not released. On Saturday, two days before taking office, he said the ceasefire “better hold.” His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he plans to travel to Gaza to ensure that the ceasefire continues. Witkoff stood near Trump during the inauguration.
During his first term, Trump discussed Israeli-Palestinian peace as a “real estate deal,” and in his remarks Monday, he discussed Gaza, much of which has been destroyed during the war, in real-estate terms.
“I looked at a picture of Gaza, Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” he said. “It’s gotta be rebuilt in a different way… You know, Gaza is interesting, it’s a phenomenal location, on the sea, best weather, you know, everything’s good. Some beautiful things could be done with it. But it’s very interesting. But some fantastic things could be done with Gaza.”
Asked whether the United States would have a role in rebuilding the enclave, Trump said it “might.”
In response to a question on who will govern Gaza, he responded, “It depends… You certainly can’t have the people that were there. Most of them are dead.”
Hamas has governed Gaza since 2007. Israel has killed much of the terror group’s leadership in the current war and currently controls a large portion of its territory.
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