WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his plan to take control of Gaza, and said that he could allow other states in the Middle East to rebuild parts of the war-ravaged enclave.

“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it," Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One as he traveled to the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday.

"Other people may do it through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back. There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished," he added.

Trump described the enclave as "the most dangerous site anywhere in the world to live in," but said "we'll make it into a very good site for future development by somebody".

"We'll let other countries develop parts of it. It'll be beautiful. People can come from all over the world and live there," he told reporters.

"But we're going to take care of the Palestinians. We're going to make sure they live beautifully and in harmony and in peace, and that they're not murdered."

The US president announced his plan to take over Gaza almost a week ago, following a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the time, he said that displaced Palestinians would not want to go back to Gaza. On Sunday, Trump told reporters that Arab nations would agree to take in Palestinians after speaking with him and insisted Palestinians would leave Gaza if they had a choice.

“They don’t want to return to Gaza. If we could give them a home in a safer area — the only reason they’re talking about returning to Gaza is they don’t have an alternative," Trump said. "When they have an alternative, they don’t want to return to Gaza."

Trump's plan to resettle Palestinians and turn the enclave into the "Riviera of the Middle East" drew widespread international condemnation from leaders and officials worldwide.

Countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Türkiye, Iran, and Brazil voiced their opposition to any forced displacement. Australia, Russia and China said a two-state solution is the only way forward. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said "it is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing".

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week called for the United Nations to "protect the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights", saying that what Trump wanted to do would be "a serious violation of international law".

Trump also spoke on Sunday about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and said he was losing his patience with the deal after seeing footage of the release of the latest three Israeli hostages by the Palestinian militant group.

"I watched the hostages come back today and they look like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated," Trump told reporters.

"I don't know how much longer we can take that ... at some point we're going to lose our patience. When I watch that, I know we have a deal where we're supposed to get a dribble in and keep dribbling in, but they are in really bad shape," he added.

Trump also spoke about ending Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he claimed would never have happened if he had been president when the war started.

"I've had it. Let's just say I've had it. And I expect to have many more conversations. We have to get that war ended," he said. "Should've never happened, would have never happened if I was the president."

Trump revealed on Sunday that he has already had one or more phone conversations about ending Moscow's war in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. — Euronews