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By World Israel News Staff
President Donald Trump said Monday he is not very confident the recently implemented ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas will hold through all three planned phases, while suggesting his administration may aid in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Hours after his inauguration on Monday, President Trump spoke with reporters in the Oval Office as he signed a series of executive orders, overturning dozens of policies put in place by the Biden administration.
When asked by a reporter whether he is confident the ceasefire in Gaza – which went into effect Sunday morning – will hold, Trump responded that he is “not confident.”
“I am not confident. It’s not our war. It is their war. I am not confident. But I think they are very weakened on the other side,” Trump said, referring to the leadership of Hamas and the terror group’s patron, Iran.
When questioned regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the coastal enclave after the war, Trump said Gaza has been left by 15 months of war “like a massive demolition site” and will have to be “rebuilt in a different way.”
Trump said he “might” aid in the reconstruction of Gaza after the war, while suggesting Strip’s “phenomenal location” on the coast give it tremendous potential.
“You know, everything’s good,” he said. “Some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting, but some fantastic things could be done with Gaza.”
The president ruled out Hamas’ return to power after the war, saying the terror group “didn’t exactly run [Gaza] well, they ran [it] viciously and badly,” adding that “You certainly can’t have the people that were there. Most of them are dead.”
