Egypt says it will not be part of any proposal that displaces Palestinians

Egypt rejects and will not be part of any proposal to displace Palestinians from Gaza, its Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, following President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take over the enclave and his call to Egypt to take in resettled Palestinians, Reuters reports.

Egypt, which borders the tiny enclave, denounced expressions of support by Israeli cabinet members for the plan to create a “Riviera of the Middle East” in Gaza under US control.

Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, ordered the army, on Thursday, to prepare a plan to allow for the voluntary departure of Gaza residents from the Strip, Israeli media reported.

Apparently referring to Katz’s order, the Ministry said: “Egypt stresses the catastrophic consequences of this irresponsible act which weakens the ceasefire negotiations, and would squash them and incite a return of fighting.”

In January, Egypt, alongside Qatar and the US, brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas ending a 15-month-long war that upended the Middle East. Talks about the second phase of the deal were supposed to get under way this week.

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