There is "almost nothing left" of Gaza and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the region on Thursday.

The president expanded on a controversial idea that was rejected by the Arab states and would represent a significant shift in U.S. policy.

Trump floated the idea on Saturday, saying he would urge the leaders of the two Arab countries to take in Gaza’s now largely homeless population, so that “we just clean out that whole thing.”

President Trump said he had spoken to Jordan’s leader and planned to call Egypt’s on Sunday. Most of Gaza’s two million residents have been displaced in 15 months of fighting.

CAIRO (AP) — The leader of important U.S. ally Egypt on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza, defying a U.S. president who has shown little patience for dissent from international partners.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Trump said he had made the request to Jordan's King Abdullah and planned to ask Egypt's president on Sunday, too.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the Middle East that rebuilding Gaza could take between 10 and 15 years. Why it matters: The Trump administration wants to see the ceasefire continue and Gaza stabilized so it can move forward with its ambitious plans for the Middle East,