Yesterday's meeting with Donald Trump may have been Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest agenda item while in the US, but his schedule has featured meetings with various officials.

This afternoon he met with Vice President JD Vance, external and national security advisor Mike Waltz.

And in a few minutes, at around 15:00 EST (20:00 GMT), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will host an honour cordon - welcoming Netanyahu to the Pentagon.

Netanyahu also previously met with Trump's Middle East convoy Steve Witkoff.

Throughout the day we have been hearing from defiant Palestinians who have reacted to Donald Trump's comments on the US taking over Gaza.

Our colleagues at BBC Arabic spoke to one woman who said: "We will live and die in our homeland, the land of Gaza." Others have insisted Palestinians are "deeply rooted in their land".

The European Union has also reacted to Trump's plans, repeating its stance that the bloc is "firmly committed" to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a statement, an EU foreign policy spokesman says Gaza should be an "integral part of a future Palestinian state".

"We took note of President Trump’s comments. The EU remains firmly committed to a two-state solution, which we believe is the only path to long-term peace for both Israelis and Palestinians," he added.

Matt Spivey
Live page editor

We've just been listening across a White House briefing from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and a news conference from Marco Rubio - running simultaneously.

Trump's comments on the US "taking over" Gaza remained a big topic for both Rubio and Leavitt.

During a grilling from members of the press, Leavitt failed to give a definitive answer on whether American troops will become involved in Gaza, but says Trump has "not committed to putting boots on the ground".

BBC's US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman asked whether Palestinians who wish to stay in Gaza will be able to, but the questions was dodged by Leavitt. He writes that "the question could have allowed the White House to rule out forcible transfer for Palestinians, but in this answer, it did not".

Meanwhile, Rubio - speaking at a news conference with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo - reiterated that parts of Gaza has been rendered unliveable, a message that we have also heard from Trump.

He adds that Trump's "generous offer" to help Palestinians was "not meant as a hostile move".

We'll continue to bring you the latest updates, reaction and analysis as Trump's comments continue to make shockwaves across the international community. Stay with us.

We have some more now from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who says Trump's proposal yesterday was actually a "generous offer" to help clean up Gaza, making it sound optional.

"It was not meant as a hostile move," he says.

"What President Trump announced yesterday is the offer, the willingness, of the United States to become responsible for the reconstruction of that area," Rubio says.

Image source, US Pool

Whilst we've been hearing from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been speaking at a news conference.

He was asked about Trump's position on Gaza, while in attendance at the conference with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo.

He was asked how the Trump administration is planning to carry out the proposals, and how they hope to accomplish the rebuild plan.

Rubio begins by saying that Trump's announcement yesterday acknowledged that Gaza is "severely damaged" with some areas "rendered unliveable".

He called the announcement an "offer" for the US to become responsible for the reconstruction.

White House had chance to rule out forcible transfer of Palestinians, it did notpublished at 18:53 Greenwich Mean Time 5 February

18:53 GMT 5 February

Tom Bateman
BBC News, reporting from the White House

Here in the White House briefing room, I just asked the spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt to clarify whether, under the president's proposed plan for Gaza, any and all Palestinians who wish to stay on their land in Gaza will be able to do so.

She wouldn't confirm that and swerved the issue, saying instead Trump was committed to "rebuilding Gaza and to temporarily relocating those who are there”.

She repeated the argument that Gaza was a "demolition site" with no water or electricity, and that Trump "wants these individuals to live in peace".

The question could have allowed the White House to rule out forcible transfer for Palestinians, but in this answer, it did not.

Image source, Getty Images

Leavitt is asked about Trumps' comments on the US owning Gaza - she's asked who owns Gaza now and how the US would acquire it.

Leavitt says Gaza is currently run by Hamas, and says everyone agrees that situation can "no longer stand", citing the October 6 attack on Israel.

Trump is committed to "rebuilding the region for all people who want to return to it once it is no longer a demolition site" and is somewhere where people can "thrive in harmony", she says.

She adds: "I think it's actually quite evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions."

With that, the White House briefing has come to an end.

Karoline Leavitt is asked whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was aware of Donald Trump's plans.

"Yes he was," Leavitt replies.

"This is something the president has been socialising and thinking about for a long time."

The BBC's State Department correspondent, Tom Bateman, asks if any and all Palestinians that want to stay in Gaza will be allowed to stay.

Leavitt says Trump is committed to rebuilding Gaza and temporarily relocating those who are there because the area is a "demolition site", and adds that the president "wants these individuals to live in peace".

Trump, like many US politicians before him, doesn't want to be boxed inpublished at 18:39 Greenwich Mean Time 5 February

18:39 GMT 5 February

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Much of the news conference has focused on the possibility of US troops being deployed to Gaza - which Leavitt repeatedly forces to say that the Trump has "not committed" to any such decision.

As we reported, Trump has left that option on the table, saying only that he would do what is "necessary".

Leavitt has framed this as a negotiation tactic - and has repeatedly praised his history of negotiations, both at the White House and as a businessman.

"The President is very good when he's making deals and negotiating not to rule out anything because he wants to preserve that leverage," she said.

One possibility is that Trump - like many US politicians before him, of both political parties - does not want to be boxed into a corner by saying what is, or isn't, considered a workable scenario.

Leavitt is pushed on Trump's remarks he made earlier in the Oval Office, when he said "everybody loved" his plan.

A reporter cites Jordan's former deputy prime minister, Mamdouh al-Abadi, who called the president's remarks "a declaration of war on the Arab people".

She replies saying that Jordan's King Abdullah will be in Washington next week.

"There have been a lot officials around the world who have doubted the deal-making ability of President Trump," Leavitt answers as she says some leaders have made concessions - citing Colombia recently yielding on US deportation flights to avert trade war.

"Actions speak louder than words," she adds.

It's put to Leavitt that the US's partners in the region, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have voiced opposition to Trump's idea for resettling Palestinians.

She says that Trump has been thinking about this for quite some time and it's not an "announcement he makes lightly".

Leavitt says Trump has been vocal that he expects the US's partners in the region, particularly Egypt and Jordan, to accept Palestinian refugees temporarily "so that we can rebuild their home".

She shows images that demonstrate the damage done to Gaza and says Trump "made this decision with a humanitarian heart for all people in the region".

Image source, Getty Images

Leavitt is pushed further on the plans, she's asked if the US is prepared to remove Palestinians from the territory by force?

Trump's press secretary repeats the point that the president is "ready to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians and all peace-loving people in the region".

Asked how he intends to do this, Leavitt says Trump is speaking to allies and "figuring that out".

• As a reminder key regional partners, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have all flatly rejected the plans to move two million people out of Gaza.

As we just reported, questions have turned focus onto Trump's comments about Gaza.

Leavitt is asked how Trump's proposals for Gaza align with the America First policy - which centres on focusing on domestic policy, and is against involvement in foreign wars.

"Trump has not committed to putting boots on the ground," she says adding this "does not mean American taxpayers will be funding soldiers".

When pressed by reporters, she did not rule out US boots on the ground but repeated that Trump has not "committed".

Watch her remarks below:

Questions quickly turn to Gazapublished at 18:23 Greenwich Mean Time 5 February

18:23 GMT 5 February

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Predictably, the question-and-answer portion of the briefing has been dominated, so far, by questions about Gaza.

The first question is one that was on the mind of many observers: how "owning" Gaza avoids foreign entanglements.

Leavitt said that the US "has not committed" to US boots on the ground yesterday - although yesterday he said he would do what is "necessary".

"He expects our partners in the region to accept Palestinian refugees temporarily," she said.

The Saudis, Egyptians, Jordanians and others have expressed alarm and opposition to the idea.

Leavitt is now showing images of a destroyed street in Gaza - and says that Trump is motivated by "humanitarian" purposes.

White House briefing begins with a triumphant tonepublished at 18:16 Greenwich Mean Time 5 February

18:16 GMT 5 February

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, BBC/ Bernd Debusmann Jr

Karoline Leavitt's briefing begins with a triumphant tone - and she almost immediately refers to Trump's comments from last night, about "owning" Gaza.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," she says.

"President Trump is an outside of the box thinker and a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in the city, claim are unsolvable," she adds.

Clearly, the White House views this week as a success - with Karoline Leavitt describing a string of "victories", including the deals with Mexico and Canada on tariffs, the Netanyahu meeting and the restart of flights to Guantanamo.

Image source, White House/YouTube

As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt starts the briefing, she says President Donald Trump is committed to resolving the conflict in the Middle East.

Leavitt says Trump is committed to releasing all hostages, eliminating Hamas, and restoring peace to the region.

She says Trump is an "outside of the box thinker" as she calls his proposal for Gaza to be under US control as "historic".

Leavitt has now moved onto other topics within US politics - we'll be bringing you the key lines that relate to Trump's comments on the US "taking over" Gaza. Stay with us.

We're watching in as the White House prepares for a briefing, which is expected to begin shortly.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is due to speak, we'll bring you the key lines as we get them.

You can follow along with the presser by clicking Watch live at the top of this page when the briefing gets under way.

Stay with us.

Nada Tawfik
UN correspondent, reporting from New York

The UN Secretary General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has just previewed remarks that we are expecting this afternoon from Antonio Guterres, in response to President Donald Trump's shocking plan for the US to take over Gaza.

On Gaza, Guterres will say that it is “vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law” and “essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing”.

The Secretary General will warn that “in the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse,” and will also reaffirm the two state solution.

Dujarric was asked directly if the Secretary General believed that President Trump's plan for the US to take over Gaza was ethnic cleansing.

He responded that any forced displacement is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

He said the Secretary General spoke to Jordan’s King Abdullah II on the situation.

We’ll update you on what else Guterres says when he addresses this year’s opening session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People later.