Donald Trump has said Palestinians would have no right to return to Gaza under his proposal to relocate its population and rebuild the Strip.

The president last week debuted his suggestion to “own” Gaza and shut out Hamas while it’s redeveloped, but has now contradicted officials who had said any relocation would be temporary.

Asked by Fox News if Palestinians could return, he replied: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”

Trump latest: President signs more executive orders

Speaking on Monday at the White House, Mr Trump also suggested the current ceasefire in Gaza should end on Saturday if Hamas does not release hostages as planned.

He then went further, saying all the remaining hostages should be released by midday on Saturday, or the ceasefire should be cancelled – and that “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages are not freed then.

But the US president added: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”

Hamas said earlier it would delay the release of hostages – accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire.

Mr Trump told Fox News his future vision for Gaza was to build multiple “safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is”, adding the area is currently “not habitable”.

He said he believed he could cut a deal with Jordan or Egypt to take people in.

However, Arab allies – including Egypt and Saudi Arabia – have dismissed the idea of relocating Gaza’s two-million-plus population.

Western countries have also rejected the proposal; an independent state for Palestinians remains the favoured way forward but is a no-go for the Israeli government.

When asked in the media, Palestinians have also rubbished the idea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported Mr Trump’s controversial proposal.

Much of Gaza lies in ruins due to Israel‘s attempt to wipe out Hamas after its 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

About 250 were also kidnapped, but those still alive have started to be released in recent weeks after a hard-won truce took effect last month.

Since the ceasefire began on 19 January, five swaps have taken place – with 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages released.

In total, Israel has said it will release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners in return for 33 Israeli hostages during the deal’s first phase.

Read more:
Trump plan so outrageous it might be part of something bigger
Israeli police confiscate books in raid on Palestinian bookshops

So far, little progress has been made on an extension to the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.

A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern the deal might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.

In what will be seen as a signature act of the new Trump administration, the president and his team have denounced and dismembered the US government’s international assistance arm, USAID, in a matter of three weeks.

It is a decision that will have serious, real-world consequences – and the impact is already being felt in countries such as Uganda.

Trump latest: President doubles down on Gaza plan

The health ministry in Uganda has announced its intention to shut all dedicated HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) clinics in the country. Stand-alone pharmacies supplying antiretroviral drugs will also be closed.

These facilities provide HIV treatments and preventative therapies to millions of people in Uganda, including an estimated 1.5 million currently living with the virus.

An official said the closure of HIV clinics was a necessary response as the country grapples with the loss of funding from USAID.

Directors and staff at the country’s public hospitals have been instructed to offer the same services at their outpatients and chronic care departments.

A USAID initiative called the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief – or PEPFAR – has bankrolled much of Uganda’s HIV/AIDS relief plan and it’s an initiative that has wielded impressive results.

Specially trained staff and dedicated clinics are credited with bringing infection rates down from 19% in the late 1990s to 5% in 2024.

‘We are still reeling’

Flavia Kyomukama, from the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks Uganda (NAFOPHANU), said she was stunned by Donald Trump’s decision.

“We are still reeling from the shock of what they have done, it is very difficult to understand,” she said. “There was a memorandum of support [between both countries], there was roadmap [towards zero infections] and they make this decision in a day.”

Shifting HIV/AIDS-related care to public hospitals is deeply problematic, Ms Kyomukama added.

These facilities are often overwhelmed, and they offer little, or no, privacy. It is a serious issue in a country where those carrying the virus are badly stigmatised.

“Surveys show 30% of health workers have a negative attitude towards people with HIV,” Ms Kyomukama said. “So, we’re going to see [patients] dropping out [of their treatment plans], drug resistance will increase and we will see more violence in hospital as people with HIV get attacked.”

World is worryingly dependent on US – it now faces a major shock and impossible choices

John Sparks

International correspondent

@sparkomat

The Trump administration’s destruction of USAID will bring about the virtual collapse of the international aid and development system, experts have warned.

The US government puts far more money into humanitarian assistance than any other country.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is largely complete, the Americans disbursed $71.9bn (£57bn) in foreign aid, representing 1.2% of total US government spending.

It is a spending commitment that has remained remarkably consistent over the years.

The Americans underwrite programmes in 177 individual countries with Ukraine registering as the biggest recipient in 2023. It received $16.6bn (£12.9bn) to maintain government services after the Russian invasion.

PEPFAR, USAID’s best-known initiative, provides antiretroviral treatments to 20 million people infected with HIV/AIDS.

The initiative supports NGO-run groups with an extended workforce of 350,000 people – with many employed at local clinics.

The US also bankrolls key UN organisations, such as the refugee agency (UNHCR). Its total budget of $4.8bn (£3.8bn) is propped up by the Americans, who put in US$2bn (£1.6bn).

Without this funding, it is difficult to see how UNHCR can continue to support tens of millions of refugees in countries including Sudan, Syria, Turkey and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

If the residents of refugee camps are not supported with basic services, they are likely to move.

The question then is how US funding compares to other donors – and the answer is startling.

According to the UN’s real-time financial tracking service, Germany contributed funds in 2024 representing 8% of total humanitarian aid contributions, as did the European Union, with the United Kingdom at 6%.

The world, then, is worryingly dependent on the United States.

Former international aid worker turned consultant Thomas Byrnes said: “The modern humanitarian system has been shaped by a long-term commitment from the US.

“For decades, organisations like the UN agencies have relied on this predictable funding stream to address global crises.

“The world faces a major shock and I don’t think anyone is prepared for it.”

To alleviate the situation, Mr Byrnes said other donors – such as the UK and Germany – will need to make up the funding shortfall from USAID.

But that is highly unlikely to happen.

The United Kingdom, currently contributing $2.1bn (£1.7bn), would need to contribute an additional $1.5bn (£1.2bn) – representing a 74% increase.

For Germany, the required extra contribution would be $1.8bn (£1.5bn), representing a substantial increase of 70%.

Furthermore, Trump’s move comes at a time when Germany, France, Sweden and others are planning deep cuts to international aid.

The world is looking at a colossal funding gap – and a colossal crisis – as the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance rises to 305 million people, Mr Byrnes added.

“We’re facing a perfect storm,” he said. “The brutal math means we’re heading toward humanitarian aid of just 17 cents per person per day.

“This isn’t a funding dip – it’s a systemic shock that will force impossible choices about who receives help and who doesn’t. People will die as a result of this.”

‘It’s total panic right now’

Brian Aliganyira is the director of Ark Wellness Hub, a busy health clinic for the LGBT+ community in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The clinic has sourced supplies – such as antiretroviral drugs, preventative ‘PrEP’ therapies and testing kits – from partners who are underpinned by USAID.

Now, the 37-year-old has got a major problem on his hands.

“It’s total panic right now,” he said. “Our response teams are panicking and there is a lot of panic in the community.

“We are telling people to go home and it’s not just [our clinic]. There is no more medication left – or maybe there’s one refill at the most. But people keep asking us, ‘have you got any extra, any extra’?

“Without the support we need, HIV will surge and people will die.”

‘Lives will be lost’

There are some still clinging to hope.

On 1 February, US secretary of state Marco Rubio issued a waiver exempting the PEPFAR programme from the new administration’s cuts to foreign aid.

However, President Trump issued a contradictory order banning programmes designed to “advance equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people”.

Read more:
What is USAID?
Funding gap leaves South Africans in turmoil

The result in Uganda is chaos – and mounting fear.

“Really, we are grieving about this, we are grieving,” Ms Kyomukama said. “Livelihoods will be lost – and lives will be lost.”

Donald Trump has repeated calls to make Canada “the 51st state” as he reiterated his support for tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Speaking to Fox News, when asked if he was serious about Canada being a 51st state Mr Trump said: “I think Canada would be much better off.

“We lose $200bn a year with Canada. And I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much.

“Why are we paying $200bn a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they are a 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.”

He also continued to voice support for Mr Musk. The X owner is spearheading the US president’s efforts to cut costs and bureaucracy in government, which has already seen the US Aid Agency for International Development targeted.

Named the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), its aim is to find ways to sack federal workers, cut programmes and cut federal regulations.

However, there have been suggestions the Tesla chief’s access to government systems could pose a threat to national security.

But Mr Trump has said he trusts Mr Musk and is going to ask him to investigate billions of dollars of “fraud and abuse” within the US military.

“I’ve had great help with Elon Musk. He’s been terrific,” he said.

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

When asked if he trusted him, Mr Trump added: “Trust Elon? He’s not gaining anything.

“In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it – he’s so into it.

“But I told him do that and then I’m going to tell him very soon – maybe in the next 24 hours – to go check the Department for Education. He’s going to find the same thing.

“Then I’m going to go to the military – let’s check the military. We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse.

“You know, the people elected me on that.”

‘Gulf of America day’

Mr Trump also made a series of statements aboard Air Force One as he flew to the Super Bowl.

He signed a proclamation declaring 9 February 2025 as the first ever “Gulf of America” day. One of the first executive orders the president signed was renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

While signing the latest proclamation, he posed in front of a map with the newly changed name.

Read more: Mexico asks Google not to follow Trump name change

He also said he would announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US, signalling yet another major escalation in his trade policy overhaul. These reciprocal tariffs will take effect almost immediately, he said.