It puts a dent in the credibility of Donald Trump after he claimed that he had been to Gaza without any proof showing this might have actually happened. The former president claims that he had been to Gaza during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, something that there is no public record of ever having been in the Palestinian territory. Trump made the remarks while highlighting the potential future of Gaza, which remains one of the worst war-ravaged lands.

In the interview, Hewitt asked Trump if Gaza, which has suffered significant destruction as a result of retaliatory Israeli airstrikes following the October 7 attack by Hamas, could be an area like Monaco, thriving. Trump replied enthusiastically by saying Gaza could become “better than Monaco” owing to the opportunistic location and natural resources. I’ve been there, and it’s rough. It’s a rough place … before all of the attacks and before the back and forth that’s happened over the last couple of years.”

But major media outlets, including *The New York Times*, were quick to note no record exists of Trump ever visiting Gaza, either when he was president or before. A campaign official here was quoted saying, “Gaza is in Israel. President Trump has been to Israel.” Of course, that’s wrong, as Gaza was never part of Israel, although some members of the far-right Israeli government have called for its annexation. The territory, controlled by Hamas, has been the site of numerous clashes with Israel over the years.

Trump did visit Israel in 2017 while still in office, but only toured areas such as Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Gaza is a different territory about 25 miles from the West Bank, and travel between the two can only go through Israel. Further explaining his stance, Trump said Gaza was a place of “great development” potential. This opinion was shared in the past by his son-in-law and former Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, who once described Gaza’s waterfront as “very valuable” and said it could be revitalised under the right circumstances.

The Trump campaign defended his comments, citing Karoline Leavitt as his spokesperson, saying that “he has been to Gaza before,” but no further information was made available.

Yet another storm is brewing around the statement made by Donald Trump, under closer scrutiny of his foreign policy acumen and truthfulness. It was not the first or the last statement that was going to hog the headlines when he said that Gaza is “hells on earth.” Talking at an event in Florida over the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack, Trump declared that antisemitism exists only in the Democratic Party, forgetting that earlier he was associated with antisemite Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist, and rapper Kanye West, who has called for the abolition of Jews. 

Trump, who has promised unwavering support for Israel as one of the defining features of his current presidential campaign, faces criticism for the remarks and for spreading misinformation on issues that include his claim that the Biden administration was not responsive to natural disasters.

In a final push toward the election, these blunders are raising questions about Trump’s trustworthiness and understanding of major international issues, particularly on such a complex issue as the Middle East.