Israel unveils plans for Gaza deportations (LIVE UPDATES)
US President Donald Trump recently proposed the temporary eviction of Palestinians from the region
The Israeli government has unveiled plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza and force countries in Europe that have been critical of West Jerusalem's controversial war against Hamas to take in refugees from the enclave.
US President Donald Trump recently also suggested that Washington could take control of Gaza, level the thousands of damaged buildings in the area and eventually turn the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
06 February 2025
15:47 GMT
Egypt has warned against plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza, calling them a violation of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people, which threatens the entire region’s stability.
In an official press statement posted on X on Thursday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it absolutely rejects any plans to forcefully remove Palestinians from their territory, claiming that it would amount to ethnic cleansing.
The ministry reiterated its calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and urged the international community to take action to halt hostilities and remove obstacles to humanitarian aid.
13:55 GMT
Hamas has vehemently rejected Trump’s proposal for Gaza, insisting the enclave belongs to its people and that they will not leave it.
The armed group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, has demanded an emergency Arab summit to confront the displacement project, calling Trump’s statement a declaration of will to occupy Gaza.
“We do not need any state to run the Gaza Strip and we do not accept replacing one occupation with another,” Qassem said. He added that rejecting Trump’s project is “not enough” and that Palestinian unity is necessary to “confront displacement.”
13:40 GMT
The UK will oppose efforts to forcibly move Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, Anneliese Dodds, Britain’s minister of state for international development, has said.
“There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip,” Dodds told Parliament on Thursday.
13:15 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Trump’s plan for Gaza as “remarkable” in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, which the presenter published on his X account on Thursday.
“The actual idea of allowing Gazans who want to leave to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that? They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu heaps praise on Trump’s plans for the Gaza Strip“This is the first good idea that I have heard; it's a remarkable idea, and I think it should be really pursued, examined, and done.” pic.twitter.com/uW5vdV8ifG
— RT (@RT_com) February 6, 2025
12:59 GMT
Ireland has hit out against Israel’s proposal to send Gazans to the country. Israel’s defense minister previously suggested Palestinians removed from Gaza could live in Ireland, Norway or Spain, all of which formally recognized the state of Palestine last year.
In an emailed statement to Reuters Dublin stressed that “The objective must be a massive scale-up of aid into Gaza, return of basic services and a clear framework under which those displaced can return,” adding that “any comments to the contrary are unhelpful and a source of distraction.”
12:55 GMT
Trump has doubled down on his plans to take over Gaza, writing on his Truth Social account on Thursday that “the Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel” after the end of hostilities.
He suggested that the Palestinians would be resettled in “far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region” and would “actually have a chance to be happy, safe, and free.”
The president stated that together with development teams from across the world, the US would “slowly and carefully” begin the construction of what would become “one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth.”
“No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign,” Trump wrote.
https://www.rt.com/news/612268-israel-gaza-relocation-plans/