Wednesday Briefing: A new proposal for Gaza

Could the U.S. seize the territory?

View in browser|nytimes.com February 5, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering President Trump's comments about Gaza's future and a mass shooting in Sweden. Plus: The Sims turns 25. President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House on Tuesday. Eric Lee/The New York Times Trump suggests a U.S. takeover of Gaza President Trump proposed yesterday that the U.S. take over Gaza, and that all Palestinians there — about two million people — should leave, describing a permanent relocation to one or more sites funded by "countries of interest with humanitarian hearts." Catch up on the news conference. His suggestion adds Gaza to the growing list of places that Trump wants to seize around the world, along with Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal. The president said it would be a "long-term ownership position" for the U.S. He did not answer a question about what legal authority would allow him to simply take over sovereign territory. "We will own it," he said. Framing the matter as a humanitarian imperative, Trump said he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take in the Palestinians. But neither state wants large numbers of Palestinians, nor is it clear that Gazans would willingly abandon the territory they have spent years defending. Hamas immediately rejected the suggestion, and the global reaction was sharply censorious. Trump suggested the U.S. could help Palestinians "find the right piece of land" and "build them some really nice places." He said he envisioned it as a permanent relocation. "I don't think people should be going back to Gaza," Trump said. "Gaza is not a place for people to be living." Context: Trump is hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House to talk about the next stage of a cease-fire in the Gaza war. In the West Bank: Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack as Israel pressed ahead with a military operation there. Nomenclature: Trump's return has emboldened supporters of Israeli annexation of the West Bank who want to instead call the area "Judea and Samaria." Opponents say that term reflects a political agenda. Yangshan Port in Shanghai. China's government responded swiftly to President Trump's tariffs with countermeasures against U.S. products. The New York Times Beijing was swift to retaliate after Trump's tariffs China struck back yesterday against President Trump's 10 percent tariffs on all Chinese products with tariffs of its own on U.S. coal and gas, as well as restrictions on exports of some minerals. The measures will take effect on Monday, according to the Chinese government, meaning there is still time for negotiations. The White House press secretary said a call between Trump and China's leader, Xi Jinping, would happen soon. China's tariffs would cover about $20 billion of U.S. exports, compared with Trump's tariffs on more than $450 billion of Chinese goods, economists estimated. The Chinese authorities also started an antitrust investigation into Google. Catch up: The leaders of Canada and Mexico each negotiated a 30-day delay in U.S. tariffs. Our reporters looked at the different routes they took to arrive at the same outcome. More on the Trump administration Employees of the U.S. foreign aid agency, who were locked out of their offices for a second day, braced for potential job cuts. President Trump signed an executive order calling for a general review of U.S. funding and involvement in the U.N., casting uncertainty on the U.S.'s leadership role in the global body. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for health secretary, and Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice to run America's spy agencies, both had their bids advanced to the Senate for a vote. Elon Musk is using X as a powerful weapon in the initiative he calls the Department of Government Efficiency. The U.S. plans to begin flying migrants in military planes to the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay. F.B.I. agents filed lawsuits seeking to prevent the Trump administration from disclosing the names of staff who investigated the Jan. 6 riot. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, warned that "a lot is at stake for both sides" in a possible trade war between the U.S. and Europe. Greenland's Parliament banned foreign political funding in response to Trump's stated intentions to acquire the territory. Trump has left virtually no corner of Washington untouched in his effort to tear down the federal government and refashion it to his liking. Police officers responding to a shooting at an adult education center in Orebro, Sweden, on Tuesday. Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency, via Associated Press At least 10 were killed in a shooting in Sweden At least 10 people were killed and a number of others were injured yesterday in a shooting at a center for adult education in Orebro, Sweden, the authorities said. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was among the dead. "We have seen a brutal act of violence," Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, said in a televised address. "This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history." Context: Shootings are rare in Swedish schools, but the country has been dealing with a steady surge in gun violence. MORE TOP NEWS Andy Rain/EPA, via Shutterstock Britain: Medical experts raised new doubts about evidence used in 2023 to convict a nurse, Lucy Letby, of killing seven babies. Syria: The interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, held his first meeting with the president of Turkey, which hosts more than three million Syrian refugees. Australia: Peter Dutton, the conservative opposition leader, is following Trump's playbook. But there are lines he won't cross. El Salvador: After meeting with the U.S. secretary of state, the president offered to jail, for a fee, criminals deported by the U.S.. Publishing: A woman sued the author Neil Gaiman, accusing him of sexual assault. She also sued his estranged wife, Amanda Palmer, accusing her of facilitating the abuse. Sharks: A teenage girl died after being bitten by a shark while swimming in Queensland, Australia. Tech: This is how a sale of TikTok might work, and who would be in a position to buy it. Italy: Lawmakers have accused Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, of hunting a protected duck in Venice's lagoon. Sept. 11.: A case is at a crossroads over whether a key confession was tainted by C.I.A. torture. SPORTS NEWS Olympics: A Jordanian prince is one of seven candidates vying for the powerful position of president of the I.O.C. Golf: Kultida Woods, the mother of Tiger Woods and a bedrock foundation in his life, died yesterday. She was 80. Formula 1: The Mercedes streamliner driven by Juan Manuel Fangio sold for a record $52 million at auction. MORNING READ Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times Two years after Sri Lankans cast out a strongman dynasty that had destroyed the economy, a leftist movement is seizing a rare opportunity to rally more women into politics. Making up more than half of registered voters, women are slowly and steadily reshaping a political culture that allows them equal space. Lives lived: The Aga Khan IV, leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims, fused entrepreneurship and philanthropy to become one of the world's wealthiest hereditary rulers. He died yesterday at 88. CONVERSATION STARTERS The Sims turns 25: The video game turned players into gods, farmers, landlords — and vampires. Skin in the game: The nearly-nude Grammys outfit of Bianca Censori, Ye's wife, has prompted an outpouring of commentary. Prison cuisine: Our reporter visited the kitchens of New York City's largest jail complex to speak with the cooks who feed thousands of people a day. ARTS AND IDEAS Ksenia Kuleshova for The New York Times Ukrainian musicians wonder if they'll ever go home Russia's invasion turned the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra's players into refugees. In Germany, where they are now trying to build new lives, support appears to be softening; at home in Ukraine, an unending war continues. Three years into the conflict, they continue to perform to highlight their homeland's struggle. Always on their minds are faraway loved ones, fears about what might happen next and worries over how long they will be allowed to stay. "It's a whole soup of anxiety," one violinist said. "At some point, you start to wonder, 'Will we ever go home?'" Read their story here. Related: The superstar Russian singer Anna Netrebko performed in the U.S. for the time since the invasion of Ukraine. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Bake: Oatmeal breakfast bars are a perfect way to start the day. Read: Ali Smith's novel "Gliff," infuses a Y.A. plot with her distinctive verbal magic. Cope: Why does drinking make us anxious? Experts weigh in. Travel: Be more present on your next vacation via a sketchbook. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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