Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem welcomed on Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s apparent retreat from his proposal for a permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, urging him to refrain from aligning with the vision of the "extreme Zionist right."
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 a meeting in the White House with Irish Prime Minister Micheál 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 (Hamas) call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli occupation to implement all the terms of the ceasefire agreements,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Last month, Trump proposed a US takeover of Gaza where Israel's military assault in the last 17 months has killed tens of thousands, after he earlier suggested that Palestinians in the enclave should be permanently displaced.