Florida

Former US president Donald Trump’s recent claim over the besieged Gaza Strip has raised eyebrows, raising questions over his knowledge of West Asia. In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump claimed he has been to Gaza, which he said was ‘a rough place.’ The Republican leader said he travelled to Gaza “before all of the attacks and before the back and forth what’s happened over the last couple of years”, despite a lack of evidence corroborating the same.

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More than 41,000 people have died in Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory and buildings have been reduced to rubble following Hamas’ Oct 7 assault on innocent Israeli citizens last year.

Also read: West Asia crisis: US, Arab allies in covert talks with Iran for ceasefire on 'all fronts'

When Hewitt asked Trump whether the territory could be transformed into Monaco if properly rebuilt, he said, “It could be better than Monaco. It has the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything. It’s got, it is the best, I’ve said it for years.”

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“I mean, they have the back of a plant facing the ocean, you know. There was no ocean as far as that was concerned. They never took advantage of it. You know, as a developer, it could be the most beautiful place – the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate. It could be so beautiful. It could be the best thing in the Middle East,” the former US president said.

Also read: Gaza war: Americans should never forget Hamas' Oct 7 attack on Israel, says Trump

Although Hewitt avoided confronting Trump on the big claim, a New York Times report later said there was no evidence hinting Trump ever visited Gaza either when he was president or before.

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Times quoted a Trump campaign official as saying, “Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel.”

Axios quoted Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson, as saying that the former president “has been to Gaza previously”, without mentioning exactly when the visit happened.

(With inputs from agencies)