Egypt and Hamas Welcome Trump's Statement "No Eviction of Gaza Residents"

Egypt and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas have expressed their welcome for U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that he will not expel residents from the Gaza Strip.

AP Yonhap News

On the 13th (local time), the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "We highly appreciate President Trump's remark that he will not demand Gaza Strip residents to leave the Gaza Strip."

It added, "This reflects an understanding of the importance of preventing further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and finding a fair and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue."

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesperson, also stated in a statement, "If President Trump has retreated from the idea of relocating Gaza Strip residents, we welcome it," adding, "He should not side with the Zionist (Israeli) far-right." He further said, "We hope this stance will be strengthened by obligating the Israeli occupation forces to implement all terms of the ceasefire agreement."

The previous day, during a summit at the White House between President Trump and Irish Prime Minister Miche?l Martin, a reporter asked, "What is the president's plan regarding expelling Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip?" President Trump responded, "No one is being expelled from the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli media outlet Times of Israel noted regarding this statement, "For the first time, it was clearly stated that Gaza Strip residents will not be forced to leave their homes."

President Trump had proposed relocating Palestinian residents to surrounding Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, controlling the Gaza Strip by the U.S., and developing it into a resort area, which drew international criticism.

The Arab League (AL) adopted a Gaza Strip reconstruction plan led by Egypt earlier this month as an alternative to President Trump's proposal, gaining support from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and major European countries. This reconstruction plan aims to rebuild the war-damaged Gaza Strip over five years at a total cost of $53 billion (approximately 77 trillion won) without displacing Palestinian residents.