US President Donald Trump (Photo by AFP)
In his latest statement about the war in Gaza, US President Donald Trump seems to back down on his previous plan to forcibly relocate the population of the Gaza Strip, claiming, “Nobody is expelling any Palestinians.”
The statement was made in response to a reporter's question about the ethnic cleansing plan during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday.
It was embraced by Hamas, with the resistance group's spokesman Hazem Qassem stating, “If President Trump’s statements represent a reversal of the plan of displacing the people of Gaza, they are welcomed.”
“We call for this stance to be followed by holding the occupation accountable for implementing all ceasefire agreements,” Qassem added.
Trump first unveiled his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its native population in February.
Under the plan, the people of Gaza will be forcibly relocated to Jordan and Egypt, regardless of the consent of either the Palestinians or the governments of Jordan and Egypt.
Since the beginning of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, many Israeli officials have also been calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, including ministers of the current Israeli administration.
Most recently, Israeli Minister Idit Silman reiterated calls for expelling the people of Gaza in an interview on Tuesday, stating the “only solution for the Gaza Strip is to remove its Palestinian population.”
The plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza has been widely condemned by human rights groups and governments around the world, including even some of Israel’s allies such as Germany.