Jordan's King Abdullah II told President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning that his country would immediately admit 2,000 Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip with cancer and other medical issues.
"I think one of the things we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or are in very ill state to Jordan as quickly as possible and then wait for, I think, the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can with the president to work on other challenges," he said.
Why It Matters
This is Trump's second meeting with an official in just a week to discuss the Israel-Hamas war. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House last week.
The meetings carry significant geopolitical weight as Trump and Netanyahu discussed the future of a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza, potential normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and strategies to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu is under pressure from hard-right coalition members to resume hostilities, while Trump, who has taken credit for brokering the ceasefire, aims to see it hold.
Gaza has been decimated, and tens of thousands of people—including the elderly, women and children—have been killed since Israel launched a counteroffensive against Hamas in response to the militant group's attack on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis died and over 200 hostages were taken.
Abdullah left the White House after about two hours and was headed to Capitol Hill to meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. He posted on X that during his meeting with Trump, "I reiterated Jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."
"This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all," Abdullah wrote.
What To Know
A reporter asked Trump why Jordan should "take in the Palestinian people" when King Abdullah II "has made clear he doesn't want to."
During the press conference last week with Netanyahu, Trump said he believes Egypt and Jordan will agree to take in Palestinians, a suggestion both countries dismissed last week while warning that moving Palestinians out of Gaza would undermine America's longtime push for a two-state solution.
"I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt," Trump told Fox News's Bret Baier. "We give them billions and billions of dollars a year."
Trump said on Tuesday that he and King Abdullah II had "discussed it briefly" and then referred to the Jordan royalty for a comment.
"I think the point is how do we make this work," the king said. "Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people of the region, especially my people of Jordan. We're going to have some interesting discussions today."
Trump acknowledged that he "didn't know" about the 2,000 children before the announcement.
"That's really a beautiful gesture," Trump said. "That's so beautiful. That's music to my ears."
Trump has recently escalated pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza—perhaps permanently—as part of his plan to remake the Middle East. Trump said during a news conference with Netanyahu last week that the United States wants to "take over" the Gaza Strip.
"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too," Trump said. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and all of the other weapons on the site."
During his meeting with King Abdullah, Trump said, "With the United States being in control of that piece of land," the region would see "civility in the Middle East for the first time."
"They're going to be living safely. They're not going to be killed, murdered and having to leave every 10 years," Trump said. "I've been watching this for years. It's been nothing but trouble. Everybody's being killed. They're being robbed. It's like living in hell."
He clarified that the U.S. is "not going to buy anything" but rather "keep it, and we'll make sure there's going to be peace."
"We're going to run it very properly," Trump said. "We're going to have lots of good things built there, including hotels and office buildings and lots of things, and we'll make that site into what it should be."
Trump also said that Palestinians "don't want to be in the Gaza Strip," but they have "no alternative."
Trump told reporters on Sunday that people can "think of it as a big real estate site" that the U.S. "is going to own." He noted that "we're in no rush" to develop the area.
"We're going to bring stability to the Middle East," Trump said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded many questions about the Gaza Strip during a press conference on Wednesday and said that Trump "was not committed" to sending troops to the area. Leavitt also suggested that the proposal does not require Trump and the country to be "entangled in conflicts abroad."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, at a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II: "With Egypt, I think you're going to see some great progress. I think with Jordan you're going to see some great progress. Three of us, and we're going to have some others helping. We're going to have some others that are very high-level helping, and the whole thing will come. It's not a complex thing to do."
King Abdullah II at the meeting with Trump: "I truly believe that with all of the challenges that we have in the Middle East, I finally see someone who can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace and prosperity to all of us in the region."
Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, posted on X, formerly Twitter: "He's totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It's like a bad, sick joke."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told journalists Wednesday: "As the president and prime minister pointed out last night, the president is willing to think outside of the box, look for new and unique dynamic ways to solve problems that have felt like they're intractable."
What Happens Next
Trump said there's a 99 percent chance "we work something out with Egypt."
The president has also issued a "Saturday deadline" for Hamas, who he called "bullies," to release all its hostages. Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that military operations in the Gaza Strip would resume unless all hostages held there are released.
"They better have them out by Saturday at 12 o'clock, or all bets are off," Trump said at Tuesday's press conference.
Update 2/11/25, 1:59 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 2/11/25, 4:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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About the writer
Monica is a Newsweek reporter based in Boston. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. ... Read more