WEB DESK: Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s apparent withdrawal from his earlier proposal to permanently displace over two million Palestinians from Gaza.
The statement by the Hamas official came after Trump said on Wednesday that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza” in response to a question during the meeting in the White House with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
“If US President Trump’s statements represent a retreat from any idea of displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, they are welcomed,” Qassem said in the statement.
“We call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli occupation to implement all the terms of the ceasefire agreements,” he added.
Last month, Trump stirred significant controversy across the Middle East and beyond with his proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza, suggesting that the Palestinian residents of the conflict-ridden region should be permanently relocated to neighboring countries.
Trump’s unexpected shift occurred following a meeting on Wednesday in Qatar, where Arab foreign ministers convened with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to address reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
Foreign ministers from Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization were present at the meeting, according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
