An avenue in Tripoli, capital of Libya, on May 15, 2025. (Credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP)
The U.S. embassy in Libya denied on Sunday a report that the U.S. government was working on a plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya.
On Thursday, NBC News said the Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as many as one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya.
NBC News cited five people close to the matter, including two people with direct knowledge and a former U.S. official.
"The report of alleged plans to relocate Palestinians in Gaza to Libya is untrue," the U.S. embassy said on X.
The Tripoli-based internationally recognized Government of National Unity was not available for immediate comment.
Trump has previously said he would like the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and its Palestinian population resettled elsewhere.
When Trump first floated his idea after taking the presidency, he said he wanted U.S. allies Egypt and Jordan to take in people from Gaza. Both states rejected the idea, which drew global condemnation, with Palestinians, Arab nations and the U.N. saying it would amount to ethnic cleansing.
In April, Trump said Palestinians could be moved "around to different countries, and you have plenty of countries that will do that."
During a visit to Qatar this week, Trump reiterated his desire to take over the territory, saying he wanted to see it become a "freedom zone" and that there was nothing left to save.
Trump has previously said he wants to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
