President Trump said that Palestinians would not have an automatic right to return to Gaza, sparking new confusion over his redevelopment plans for the war-torn strip between Egypt and Israel.

Mr. Trump shocked the world by suggesting in recent days he would take control of Gaza once the fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Hamas is over.

The president has said Palestinians would be expected to vacate to nearby Arab countries, raising questions about whether they would be ejected forcibly.

“We’ll build safe communities a little bit away from where they are, from where all this danger is,” Mr. Trump said in a clip that previewed an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier that will air in full later Monday. “In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land, no big money spent.”

“Would the Palestinians have the right to return?” Mr. Baier said.

“No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” Mr. Trump said.

Much of Gaza was reduced to rubble after Palestinian terrorists in Hamas raided Israeli towns on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 and taking scores of hostages.

Mr. Trump’s evolving plan to rebuild Gaza surprised Arab leaders in the region and shocked Palestinian leaders, who said it sounded like they would be banished from their homes.

“I’m talking about building a permanent place for them. Because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before they could ever — it’s not habitable,” Mr. Trump said in the interview. “I’m talking about starting to build, and I think I could make a deal with Jordan, I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year.”

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.