On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump retracted his plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, stating: “No one is forcing the people of Gaza to leave.”
During a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin, Trump said, “No one will expel anyone from Gaza,” reversing his previous proposal, which had been met with widespread Arab and global rejection, though it had received broad support from Israel.
Following the meeting with Trump at the White House, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin called for peace in Gaza and the release of the Israeli detainees. He emphasized the need to stabilize the ceasefire, amidst international mediation efforts aimed at engaging in the second phase of the Gaza agreement talks.
President Trump had promoted a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, a proposal that was rejected by these countries, along with other Arab states and regional and international organizations.
In contrast to Trump’s plan, the Arab summit held in Cairo adopted a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza without the displacement of Palestinians. This plan, which is set to span five years with a cost of $53 billion, was met with rejection from both the occupying state and the United States, which maintained their support for Trump’s plan.
In a bid to pressure the Palestinians and Hamas, the Israeli government halted the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on March 2nd of this year.
The people of Gaza, who have been subjected to genocide and forced into poverty, as per World Bank data, rely on humanitarian aid to provide their daily sustenance and meet their basic needs.
At the beginning of this month, the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement officially ended, lasting 42 days, without the Israeli government agreeing to enter into the second phase and end the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to extend the first phase of the exchange deal to release as many Israeli prisoners as possible in Gaza, without offering anything in return.
Meanwhile, Hamas rejects this and demands that the occupying state be held accountable to the ceasefire agreement. Hamas calls on the mediators to immediately start the second phase of negotiations, which includes the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the complete cessation of the war.
