https://arab.news/yqdd6
- Islamic Jihad also reacts with fury and defiance to US president鈥檚 plan
- The vast majority of Gaza鈥檚 people have been displaced, often multiple times
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas and militant allies Islamic Jihad on Sunday reacted with fury and defiance to a plan floated by US President Donald Trump to 鈥渃lean out鈥� Gaza, where a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas aimed at permanently ending the war enters its second week.
There was no immediate reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but a far-right minister welcomed Trump鈥檚 鈥済reat鈥� idea.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of ceasefire breaches linked to the latest hostage-prisoner swap that occurred on Saturday under the truce deal that came into effect on January 19.
The swap saw four Israeli women hostages, all soldiers, and 200 Palestinian prisoners released to joyful scenes, in the second such exchange so far.
But after 15 months of war, Trump called Gaza a 鈥渄emolition site鈥� and said that he had spoken to Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah II about moving Palestinians out of the territory.
鈥淚鈥檇 like Egypt to take people. And I鈥檇 like Jordan to take people,鈥� Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that he expected to talk to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday.
Most Gazans are Palestinian refugees or their descendants.
For Palestinians, any attempt to move them from Gaza would evoke dark historical memories of what the Arab world calls the 鈥淣akba鈥� or catastrophe 鈥� the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel鈥檚 creation 75 years ago.
Egypt has previously warned against any 鈥渇orced displacement鈥� of Palestinians from Gaza into the Sinai desert, which El-Sisi said could jeopardize the peace treaty Egypt signed with Israel in 1979.
File photo showing US Air Force weapons loaders preparing a 2,000-pound bomb for loading into a B-1 bomber during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. (AFP)
Jordan is already home to around 2.3 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,鈥� Trump said of Gaza, whose population is about 2.4 million.
鈥淚鈥檇 rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,鈥� Trump said, adding that moving Gaza鈥檚 inhabitants could be 鈥渢emporarily or could be long term.鈥�
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas鈥檚 political bureau, said that Palestinians would 鈥渇oil such projects鈥� as they have done to similar plans 鈥渇or displacement and alternative homelands over the decades.鈥�
Gazans, he said, 鈥渨ill not accept any offers or solutions, even if their apparent intentions are good under the banner of reconstruction, as proposed by US President Trump.鈥�
Islamic Jihad, which fought alongside Hamas in Gaza, called Trump鈥檚 idea 鈥渄eplorable鈥� and said that it encourages 鈥渨ar crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their land.鈥�
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who opposed the Gaza truce deal, said that Trump鈥檚 suggestion of 鈥渉elping them find other places to start a better life is a great idea.鈥�
He added: 鈥淥nly out-of-the-box thinking with new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security.鈥�
The vast majority of Gaza鈥檚 people have been displaced, often multiple times, by the Gaza war that began after Hamas鈥檚 attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The United Nations says close to 70 percent of the territory鈥檚 buildings are damaged or destroyed.
A last-minute dispute on Saturday prevented the expected return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
On Sunday, cars and carts loaded with belongings lined up near the blocked Netzarim Corridor that they would cross to enter the north.
Israel announced it would prevent Palestinians鈥� passage to the north until the release of Arbel Yehud, a civilian woman hostage who Netanyahu鈥檚 office said 鈥渨as supposed to be released鈥� on Saturday.
On Sunday, Netanyahu鈥檚 office said that Hamas had committed two ceasefire violations during the latest exchange. Not releasing Yehud was one, and the group also did not provide 鈥渢he detailed list of all hostages鈥� statuses,鈥� the office said.
Hamas later on Sunday said that blocking returns to the north amounts to a truce violation and said it has provided 鈥渁ll the necessary guarantees鈥� for Yehud鈥檚 release.
Israel has also reached a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the health ministry on Sunday said Israeli troops killed three residents and wounded 44 as hundreds of people tried to return to their homes on the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from the area.
During the first phase of the Gaza truce, 33 hostages should be freed in staggered releases over six weeks in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
A total of seven hostages and 289 Palestinians have so far been freed, as well as one Jordanian prisoner freed by Israel.
The truce has brought a surge of food, fuel, medicines and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, but the UN says 鈥渢he humanitarian situation remains dire.鈥�
Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas鈥檚 October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 87 remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive killed at least 47,283 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory鈥檚 health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.