Egypt said on Thursday it appreciated US President Donald Trump‘s remarks on not demanding that residents of Gaza leave the enclave, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
“Nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza,” Trump said on Wednesday, in response to a question during a meeting in the White House with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
“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 issue,” the Egyptian foreign ministry added.
Trump had proposed a US takeover of Gaza, where Israel‘s military assault in the last 17 months has killed tens of thousands, after earlier suggesting that Palestinians in the enclave should be permanently displaced.
Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering the devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas on Wednesday welcomed Trump’s apparent retreat from his proposal for the displacement of Gazans, urging him to refrain from aligning with the vision of the “extreme Zionist right”.
Organisation for Islamic Cooperation rejects Trump’s Gaza plan
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Earlier in March, Arab leaders adopted a $53 billion Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would avoid displacing Palestinians to counter Trump’s vision of a “Middle East Riviera”.
Arab foreign ministers met in Qatar on Wednesday with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.
“The Arab foreign ministers discussed the Gaza reconstruction plan, which was approved during the Arab League Summit held in Cairo on March 4, 2025,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Foreign ministers from Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation were present at the meeting, according to the statement.
“They also agreed with the US envoy to continue consultations and coordination on the plan as a foundation for the reconstruction efforts,” it added.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)
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