Egypt and Hamas welcomed President Trump’s statement on Gaza saying no Palestinians would be expelled from what appeared to be a U-turn on his plan for the enclave. “Nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House. The Egyptian foreign ministry welcomed \[…\]
Ireland's Prime Minister Martin watches as President Trump gestures during an event in the East Room of the White House at Washington, March 12, 2025. AP/Alex Brandon
Egypt and Hamas welcomed President Trump’s statement on Gaza saying no Palestinians would be expelled from what appeared to be a U-turn on his plan for the enclave.
“Nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House.
The Egyptian foreign ministry welcomed Mr Trump’s position, saying it “reflects an understanding of the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of finding fair, sustainable solutions to the Palestinian issue.”
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem also embraced the reversal saying: “If US President Trump’s statements represent a retreat from any idea of displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, they are welcomed.”
Mr. Trump has previously said that Gaza is uninhabitable and that all Palestinians would be moved to different countries, singling out Jordan and Egypt.
The Gaza “Riviera plan” has been met with fury and fear in the Middle East as no country is prepared to take in Palestinian refugees, insisting that Gaza is a part of a future Palestinian state.
Israel, on the other hand, has fully embraced Mr. Trump’s plan, preparing to meet the logistical challenges for Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza voluntarily.
Finance Minister and security cabinet member Betzalel Smotrich said earlier this week that Israel is establishing a migration administration and that the budget “will not be an obstacle.”
“If we remove 5,000 a day (from Gaza), it will take a year. The logistics are complex because you need to know who is going to which country. It’s a potential for historical change,” Mr. Smotrich said.
As Trump walked back one of the key components of his Gaza plan, ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, with representatives from Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan participating.
Israel is pushing to extend the first phase of the ceasefire which would mean a delay of Israeli forces fully withdrawing from Gaza, while Hamas is insisting that the second phase be implemented.