Trump bars Palestinians from returning to Gaza

Palestinians will not have the right to return to the Gaza Strip as part of a conflict resolution plan with Israel and the reconstruction of the enclave under the US proposal, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News.

When asked wether Palestinians would "have the right to return," Trump said flatly:

"No, they wouldn't, because they're going to have much better housing. In other words, I'm talking about building a permanent place for them, because if they have to return now, it will be years before you could ever... it's not habitable. It will be years before it could happen. I'm talking about starting to build and I think I could make a deal with Jordan, I think I could make a deal with Egypt, you know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year," he added.

The US president explained that he was referring to "building a permanent place [of residence] for them."

Earlier, Trump stated that Washington was ready to take control of the Gaza Strip. According to him, the Palestinian population should be relocated to other regions, while the enclave should be cleared of destroyed buildings and transformed into an economic development hub that would create new jobs and housing.

Trump argued that life in Gaza had been "hell" for Palestinians and that their return to the territory was not advisable. He proposed creating alternative resettlement zones for them, which neighboring countries could provide. He also suggested that wealthy nations in the region should finance the project.

Specifically, Trump proposed that Jordan and Egypt take in Gaza’s residents, noting that this involved "one and a half million people." Both countries rejected the initiative. Representatives of Hamas also opposed the idea:

“The Palestinian people in Gaza have endured 15 months of death and destruction... simply to remain on their land,” said Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim in an interview with The New York Times. “They will not accept any proposals or decisions, even if they appear well-intentioned and are framed as reconstruction efforts, as President Trump suggests.”

In response to Trump’s proposal, Arab leaders sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, declaring that the forced displacement of Palestinians was unacceptable. They described such a move as not only a violation of international law but also a threat to regional security.

Hamas Delays Release of Israeli Hostages

The military wing of Hamas has postponed the release of several Israeli hostages, which was originally planned for February 15, until further notice. This was stated by a Hamas representative in a Telegram announcement, The Jerusalem Post said.

Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, blocking humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza, and delaying the opening of a road for displaced persons in the north of the enclave.

“For the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has been monitoring the enemy’s violations and non-compliance with the agreement’s terms,” Hamas said in its statement.

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The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. Inhabited by mostly Palestinian refugees and their descendants, Gaza is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. An end of 2024 estimate puts the population of the Strip at 2.1 million. Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north. Its capital is Gaza City and its largest city is currently Rafah.