Hamas strongly rejects US President's statement on Palestinian relocation

The statement was made after Mr. Trump - in an interview with Fox News, declared that Palestinians would be permanently resettled elsewhere with better living conditions instead of returning to Gaza.

The US President also said that Gaza would take many years to become habitable. He expressed confidence that an agreement could be reached with Egypt and Jordan on the reception of Palestinians in Gaza.

Earlier, on February 8, Mr. Sami Abu Zuhri hoped that US President Donald Trump's statement on Palestinian resettlement was just empty words, and emphasized that he would not allow US forces to enter the Gaza Strip.

"We hope that these words (President Trump's statement) are just empty words. We consider President Trump's statements unfair and insulting to our people and we will not allow US forces to enter Gaza under any circumstances," Zuhri said in an interview.

President Trump recently sparked controversy when he proposed the idea of ​​the US taking over the Gaza Strip, resettling Palestinians in other countries and turning this coastal strip of land into a "Middle Eastern Riviera". The Riviera is a famous resort and tourist destination along the Mediterranean Sea, stretching from France to Italy.

The US leader is urging Egypt and Jordan to accept the Palestinians. On February 10, Mr. Trump warned that he would consider cutting off aid if the two countries refused to join the idea.

Jordan and Egypt are among the largest recipients of US military aid. The US and Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022, in which the US pledged to provide more than $1 billion in foreign aid annually.

Meanwhile, the US provides about $1.5 billion in foreign aid to Egypt in fiscal year 2023. Both Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries warn that the evacuation of Palestinians risks destabilizing the region.

In a related development, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on February 10 exchanged views with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan on US President Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

According to a VNA correspondent in the Middle East, speaking during a phone call with Secretary-General Guterres, Mr. Araghchi opposed the US and Israel's plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other countries, and called on the UN and the Security Council to adopt a "clear and decisive" stance against the plan. The head of Iran's diplomacy said that the proposal to forcibly relocate Palestinians violates all principles and regulations of international law and the Charter.

For his part, Secretary-General Guterres expressed his opposition to any plans to relocate Palestinians from their homeland, stressing the need to respect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. He noted that the main priorities now are to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

In a separate phone call with Malaysian Foreign Minister Hasan, Araghchi urged major and influential Muslim countries to adopt a “decisive and consistent” stance toward the US President’s plan to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and resettle them in other Arab-Muslim countries.

He also called on Malaysia to support Iran's proposal to hold an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss and decide on President Trump's plan on Gaza.

For his part, Malaysia's foreign minister said his country opposes any plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza. He also welcomed Iran's proposal to convene an OIC meeting, assuring that Malaysia would send a representative to the event.