Trump says will visit Israel, Gaza, Saudi Arabia and other places in Middle East

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will visit Israel, Gaza, Saudi Arabia and other places in the Middle East.

"I love Israel. I will visit there, and I'll visit Gaza, and I'll visit Saudi Arabia, and I'll visit other places all over the Middle East," he said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

"The Middle East is an incredible place, so vibrant. It's just one of the really beautiful places and with great people. And I think a lot of bad leadership has taken place in the Middle East that's allowed this to happen. It's just terrible," he said.

"And that includes on the American side, by the way. We should have never gotten in there a long time ago, spent trillions of dollars and created so much death," he added.

Trump's remarks came as he hosted Netanyahu at the White House as the first foreign leader since his inauguration.

Netanyahu's visit came amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that took hold on Jan. 19, halting Israel's war, which has killed more than 47,500 people and left the enclave in ruins since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza's health authorities.

Nearly 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border attack led by Hamas, according to Israeli figures.

During the news conference, Trump made controversial remarks, saying the US will "take over" the Gaza Strip, which came shortly after he suggested a permanent resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza.