House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, hailed President Donald Trump's proposal on Gaza as a "bold" move. (Getty Images)
Johnson also noted that conditions in Gaza needed to change in order to avoid another attack similar to Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and killed more than 1,000 people.
He stopped short of fully endorsing the action, however, and was later pressed again on whether he believed the U.S. should take control of Gaza.
"This is a bold, a decisive move. And I think you have to do something to eradicate the threat to Israel. Here's the problem – if you leave Gaza in its current form, there's always a risk of another Oct. 7. There's always a risk of proxies of Iran, all these terrorist organizations whose stated, openly stated goal is to eliminate Israel as a state," Johnson said.
People inspect the debris and rubble at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on Jan. 14, 2025, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump said it would "create economic development that would supply unlimited numbers of jobs" and the U.S. would turn the war-torn region into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Johnson said he would discuss the matter during his own meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/johnson-says-trumps-gaza-takeover-proposal-could-bold-step-restoring-peace