Hamas welcomes Trump’s retreat from Gaza displacement plan

Hamas welcomed US President Donald Trump’s retreat from his proposed permanent displacement of more than two million Palestinians from Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

In a statement after Trump said yesterday that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza” in response to a question during a meeting in the White House with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: “We call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli occupation to fully implement the terms of the ceasefire agreements.”

The Hamas spokesman urged Trump to refrain from “aligning with the vision of the Zionist right-wing against the Palestinian people’s rights.”

Trump sent shockwaves last month when he proposed a US takeover of Gaza and suggested that the territory’s Palestinian population be permanently displaced to live in neighbouring countries.

READ: 3 more Gazans injured by Israeli army fire amid ceasefire violations

Egypt, which neighbours Gaza, also voiced its appreciation of Trump’s latest remarks.

“This position reflects an understanding of the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of finding fair, sustainable solutions to the Palestinian question,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said today.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan met with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Doha, Qatar, yesterday to discuss Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan and the ceasefire efforts.

The discussions also covered the establishment of an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the war-battered coastal enclave.