Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has said that the two million Palestinians that his administration would resettle in neighbouring countries under his plan to take over Gaza and rebuild it, would not be allowed to return to their land.
The US President told journalists that they would not be allowed to return to Gaza because they would be given much better housing. He said he planned to build a permanent place for them.
The BBC reported that a clip of the interview surfaced a day before the US president expressed his commitment “to buying and owing Gaza”, despite the global condemnation of the plans he disclosed last week.
Gaza: Palestinian authority, Hamas reject Trump’s plan
Recall that the Palestinian government and Hamas, whose 16-month war with Israel has caused global devastation in Gaza, have rejected the selling of the Palestinian land, saying it was “not for sale.”
However, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, praised Trump’s proposal, describing it as “revolutionary and creative.”
The United Nations has warned that any move to forcibly displace civilians from an occupied territory is highly prohibited under international law and such action would be considered as “ethnic cleansing”.
This came three weeks after a three-week ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas has released some hostages during the ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
When did Israel start attacks on Gaza?
The Israeli military had launched the campaign to destroy Hamas following an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were reportedly killed and 251 were reportedly taken hostage.
So far, the Israeli military has killed over 48,200 civilians in Gaza since the attack, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Most of the population in Gaza has also been displaced multiple times. About 70 per cent of buildings are estimated to be destroyed or damaged. The Israeli forces also destroyed the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems in Gaza. This has also led to a shortage of food, fuel, shelter and medicine.
Donald Trump signed three executive orders
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Donald Trump of the United States has signed three new executive orders to mark the withdrawal of the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council and from taking part in the UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Trump’s third executive order on Tuesday, February 4, ordered the withdrawal of the US from participating in the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The body uses history and culture to serve as a bridge-building mechanism among nations.
At the signing of the executive orders, Trump said he assumed the United Nations had great potential but had not been living up to expectations for a long time.
