Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs President Donald Trump said he wants Jordan and Egypt to take in more Palestinian refugees from Gaza in an effort to “clean out” the territory.Newsweek has reached out the White House press team for comment via email on Sunday.Why It Matters Over 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas has devastated the enclave and killed upwards of 47,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. At least 1.9 million people, about 90 percent of the population, have been internally displaced due to Israeli bombardments, according to the United Nations (U.N.).The conflict has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, uprooted and separated families, and devastated health care systems in the territory.Several Israeli officials have proposed relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and other Arab countries. Palestinian groups and international organizations have condemned the proposals as forced displacement and ethnic cleansing. The proposed move would strip Palestinians of their homeland, a cornerstone of their history, identity, and culture.
Displaced Palestinians gather with their belongings near a roadblock on the al Rashid Street as they wait to return to their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on January 26, days after…
Displaced Palestinians gather with their belongings near a roadblock on the al Rashid Street as they wait to return to their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on January 26, days after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
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AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
What To Know Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, Israel, in response, has launched several ground and air operations in Gaza and closed off essential aid access points.On Saturday, aboard Air Force One, Trump spoke to reporters about the ongoing crisis in Gaza.On the matter, Trump said he told Jordanian King Abdullah II, “I’d love for you to take on more [Palestinians], cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess,” per the Associated Press.Jordan already hosts a large number of Palestinians, with the U.N. reporting that more than 2.39 million registered Palestine refugees live in the country.Newsweek has also reached out to the Israeli embassy in Washington, Israel’s foreign press department, Jordan’s foreign ministry, and the office of Egypt’s State Information Service office for comment via email on Sunday morning.Trump added that he will be speaking with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about the issue, saying, “I’d like Egypt to take people.”Outlining the plan a little more, Trump told reporters, “You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out the whole thing,” in reference to Gaza.He called the Palestinian territory “literally a demolition site, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there so I’d 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.”When asked about the timeline for the plan, Trump said it “could be temporarily or could be long term.”Earlier this week, Trump said Gaza has “really got to be rebuilt in a different way,” adding that “Gaza is interesting. It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting.”Also, during the conversation with reporters aboard Air Force Once, Trump announced that he ended former President Joe Biden’s hold on 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time,” he said of the bombs, adding that he lifted the ban “because they bought them.”The recently agreed-upon ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has led to two Palestinian prisoner and Israeli hostage exchanges.What People Are Saying Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump ally, said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning: “The idea that all the Palestinians are going to leave and go somewhere, I don’t see that being overly practical. I don’t know what he [Trump] is talking about, but go talk to MBS [Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince], go talk to UAE [United Arab Emirates], go talk to Egypt—what is their plan for the Palestinians? Do they want them all to leave?…Does the Arab world support sending all the Palestinians out of Gaza? I’d be surprised if they did.”Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch executive director, wrote in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Sunday: “Trump seems to endorse the far-right Israeli plan to ‘solve’ the problem of Hamas by expelling all Palestinians from Gaza — the massive war crime of forced deportation. If done with U.S. weapons, Trump could be charged with aiding and abetting them.”Omar Baddar, a progressive political analyst, wrote in an X post on Saturday night: “President Trump is now openly & explicitly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Make no mistake: Trump wants to help Israel complete the erasure of Palestine, & the liquidation of the Palestinian struggle for freedom & justice.”Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, wrote in an X post Sunday morning: “Imagining Trump can deliver peace w/ Israel and Palestine requires believing that he possesses greater skill and willingness to exercise US leverage than any president in modern history. Imagining he will permit displacement and gradual Israeli annexation takes much less effort.”Sammy Obeid, a Palestinian American comedian, wrote in an X post on Sunday morning: “The plan has been ethnic cleansing all along. Trump’s comments should not be a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. Gaza was literally being carpet bombed and starved for 15 months under Biden. Enough of this garbage about one administration being better for Palestine than the other. Also, if you haven’t been paying attention, Palestinians are willing to fight for their rights and homeland no matter which senile guy is POTUS.”What Happens Next Trump is expected to speak with the Egyptian president about Gaza today. It’s unclear how likely this proposal is to move forward.
