US President Donald Trump sought on Friday to temper expectations over his controversial plan to take control of the blockaded Gaza Strip after it was widely rejected.

Trump said his plan, which he described as "real estate transactions," had been "very well received," though it was unclear who he was referring to after regional leaders, close allies and some of the president's closest Republican allies in Congress criticized the plan.

“Israel will provide it to us. They will monitor it in terms of security,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, where he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. “We’re not talking about boots on the ground or anything, but I think the fact that we’re there, that we’re investing there, I think, will go a long way in creating peace.”

This comes after he said on Thursday that “the United States will take over the Gaza Strip from Israel after the fighting ends,” and by that time, the Palestinians will have been “resettled” elsewhere in the region, particularly in Egypt and Jordan.

Cairo and Amman rejected the proposal, which also sparked international condemnation, with the United Nations warning against any "ethnic cleansing." It was also strongly rejected by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

The international community calls for the implementation of the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, but Israel strongly opposes it.

It is noteworthy that in response to its firm position adhering to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that “Saudi Arabia has vast areas and can establish a Palestinian state there.”

This came in Netanyahu's response to a question from the Channel 14 presenter on Thursday evening regarding Saudi Arabia's insistence on establishing a Palestinian state in order to normalize relations with Israel.

"Saudi Arabia has vast areas, they can establish a Palestinian state there," Netanyahu said sarcastically.

He added in an interview with the Israeli channel close to him: "We cannot allow the establishment of a Palestinian state here after the events of October 7."