Trump news live: Trump says he wants US to ‘take’ Gaza and turn it into ‘freedom zone’ as he visits the UAE

Trump arrived in the UAE on Thursday, where he visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and took part in a state visit with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan palace.

That came after Trump said that he doesn’t expect to see any progress in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the war until he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One.

The UAE presidential palace, which Trump visited, is a huge complex surrounded by palm trees, gardens, and fountains.

Trump and the UAE president greeted delegations in a decorated hall with marble floors and chandeliers.

Trump then moved on to take in a space exhibition alongside Steve Witkoff, Howard Lutnick, Pete Hegseth, and other U.S. officials.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan sat down with Trump on Thursday afternoon Eastern time.

“Mr. President, for over 50 years, the UAE and the United States have shared a multi-dimensional strategic partnership and a long-standing friendship grounded in a shared commitment to advancing prosperity and stability in our countries, the region, and the world,” he said. “Over the decades, the UAE has been a trusted partner of the United States, both in terms of bilateral relations and in matters of shared concern.”

“What a lot of people don’t know, I think my staff is very surprised by it, you and I have been friends for a long time,” said Trump. “We’ve been good friends, and what they don’t know about you is that you are considered a truly great warrior.”

Trump concluded his remarks by inviting the UAE president to the White House.

“Let me have one month of fixing up the Oval Office, in other words, getting things ready,” said Trump. “And I look forward to having you and the White House, we will celebrate together, but we are going to be your friend, and we’re going to be your partner, and we really appreciate your confidence and an investment that’s your biggest investment that you’ve ever made.”

Following Trump’s remarks, the UAE president awarded Trump the Order of Zayed, the highest civil decoration in the country.

As he signed a guestbook, Trump said he was “probably” heading back to Washington, D.C. on Friday. But he also said it could be a case of “destination unknown.”

Later in the evening, Trump attended a banquet dinner.

Donald Trump’s comments have come amid ongoing strikes in Gaza.

A hospital in southern Gaza says 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.

An Associated Press cameraman in Khan Younis counted 10 airstrikes on the city overnight into Thursday, and saw numerous bodies taken to the morgue in the city’s Nasser Hospital. Some bodies arrived in pieces, with some body bags containing the remains of multiple people. The hospital’s morgue confirmed 54 people had been killed.

It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children.

In the occupied West Bank, a heavily pregnant Israeli woman was also killed in a shooting on Wednesday.

The attack, coming amid one of the largest Israeli military operations in the West Bank in two decades, drew angry reactions from Israeli politicians who said the nearby Palestinian towns of Bruqin and az-Zawiya should be destroyed like cities in Gaza.

Donald Trump said he wants the United States to “take” Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone”.

His comments at a Qatari business summit come as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in the Palestinian territory.

“Well, we’re working very hard on Gaza, and Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction for many,” he said.

“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good, make it a freedom zone, let the United States get involved and make it just a freedom zone,” he said, as reports Agence France-Presse reports.

“I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.”

Donald Trump claimed at the business summit in Doha that India offered the U.S. a “basically zero tariff” deal.

At the start of April the president announced high “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, including India.

During that announcement, Trump said India would face a “discounted” 26 percent tariff rate, and accused India of having “very very high tariffs” with an average duty on American goods of 52 percent.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump said: “”It’s very hard to sell into India and and they’ve offered us a deal with what basically they’re willing to literally charge us no tariff.”

Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “very serious” negotiations with Iran for a long-term peace.

The president said America was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms of an agreement.

“We’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace,” Trump said on a tour of the Gulf, according to a pool report by AFP.

Speaking ahead of a business roundtable in Doha, Donald Trump has praised the business leaders.

“We’re surrounded by some of the greatest business people in the world. We just had a tremendous order of Boeing,” he said, referring to the $200 billion deal signed on Wednesday.

In that deal Qatar Airways will by some 160 aircraft from the U.S. manufacturer, which Trump claimed was one of the company’s largest orders in its history.

Trump then joked about changing the engines in his plane to GE Aerospace ones.

“General Electric, I hear, makes the best large aeroplane engine in the world by not even a contest. Maybe I can change my engines one day of my plane,” he said.

Donald Trump said the U.S. has to give Syria “a chance”, following his surprise announcement he would be lifting long-standing sanctions on the country.

Speaking at a business summit in Qatar, Trump again praised intermin Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa.

“He’s a strong guy, and I thought he was good, and let’s see what happens,” the president said.

“But we’re going to give [them] a fighting chance by taking off the sanctions. We’ve actually been praised for that.”

The president will visit a Qatari air base which had been used as a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as he continues his tour of gulf nations on Thursday.

Trump plans to address troops at the al-Udeid Air Base, which was also used to support the recent U.S. air strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The Qatari base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Before visiting the base, Trump will attend a business roundtable which will include executives from Boeing, GE Aerospace and Al Rabban Capital.

Later on Thursday, the president will travel to the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, where he will visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and be honored with a state visit with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al Watan palace.