U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is developing a plan that would displace about half of the 2.2 million people in the besieged Gaza Strip to Libya, according to a report published Friday.
The plan would see up to 1 million Palestinians moved to the North African country, NBC News reported, citing five people familiar with the plan. Two of those individuals said the proposal has progressed far enough that it has been discussed directly with Libya's leadership.
The U.S. has offered to unfreeze billions of dollars in frozen Libyan funds if the country agrees to resettle the displaced Palestinians, said three of the sources. They said the Israeli government has been kept abreast of the talks, and emphasized that no final agreement has been reached.
Trump said Thursday that the U.S. should "take" possession of Gaza and turn it a "freedom zone."
"I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone. Have a real freedom zone, because it seems that Gaza, every time, every 10 years, it happens, and more than that. It really happens all throughout. It never solved the Gaza problem," he told reporters in Qatar before departing for the United Arab Emirates, the final stop on his Gulf tour.
Trump said that "if it's necessary, I think I'd be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone."
"Let some good things happen. Put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with," he said.
A White House official told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the report is "not true."
A former U.S. official told NBC news that the number of Palestinians who would voluntarily leave Gaza remains uncertain and said officials are contemplating offering financial incentives, including free housing and a stipend, to get them to relocate.
But there are significant logistical and financial challenges associated with the plan. Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Armed clashes erupted again this week in the capital city of Tripoli, but a ceasefire was brokered Wednesday that ended two days of fighting. Attacks began Monday with the death of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, the former head of the Stability Support Apparatus affiliated with Libya's Presidential Council.
