US President Donald Trump says he wants his country to take over the Gaza Strip. He is proposing long-term ownership in order to redevelop the area ravaged by the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Trump made the comment during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He said: "The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site."

Netanyahu responded by saying Trump sees a different future for Gaza but the idea is worth attention.

He is the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the start of Trump's second term.

The meeting came as Israel and Hamas have been implementing a ceasefire agreement. It calls for a permanent end to the fighting between the two sides, with Hamas releasing all hostages and Israeli troops completely withdrawing from Gaza.

United Nations officials have been monitoring the first phase, scheduled to last six weeks.

They say about half a million Palestinians are believed to have crossed into northern Gaza in the week since it took effect.