Israel praises Trump’s Gaza ‘bold vision’

Israel and the United States have a common approach to Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, praising President Donald Trump's "bold vision" for the territory after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Washington's top diplomat is on his first visit to the Middle East, a trip that comes after Trump made a widely-condemned proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate its more than two million residents.

"We discussed Trump's bold vision for Gaza's future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality."

Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister

"We discussed Trump's bold vision for Gaza's future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality," Netanyahu told reporters after their meeting, adding that the two leaders had a "common strategy" for the future of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The scheme that Trump outlined earlier this month, while Netanyahu visited Washington, lacked details. Trump said Palestinians had "lived a miserable existence" in Gaza and suggested the coastal territory could become the "Riviera of the Middle East", following redevelopment after more than 15 months of war.

Though Netanyahu welcomed the idea, foreign leaders have largely rejected it.

Netanyahu warned Israel would "open the gates of hell" in Gaza unless all hostages were returned, echoing Trump, who said "hell" would break out if Hamas failed to release them.

Meanwhile, Hamas said yesterday an Israeli air strike killed three police officers near south Gaza's Rafah. Israel said it struck "several armed individuals" in south Gaza. It is at least the second Israeli air strike in Gaza since the ceasefire began.

Rubio arrived hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners -- the sixth swap under a fragile ceasefire which the United States helped mediate along with Qatar and Egypt.

Speaking alongside Netanyahu yesterday, he said: "Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force... they must be eliminated." He is due to also visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday said the establishment of a Palestinian state is "the only guarantee" of lasting Middle East peace.

Overnight, Israel said it received a shipment of US-made bombs, after the previous Biden administration blocked a shipment of heavy 2,000-pound ordnance.