Hamas official says Trump’s remarks about taking over Gaza could ignite the region

CAIRO - Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Feb 5 that US President Donald Trump’s remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip are “ridiculous” and “absurd”, and could destabilise the Middle East.

“Trump’s remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region,” Mr Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Mr Trump said the

US would take control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip

and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, actions that would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and infuriate Arab states.

Mr Trump unveiled his surprise plan, without providing specifics, at a joint press conference in Washington on Feb 4 with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Feb 5.

The announcement on Gaza followed Mr Trump’s shock proposal earlier on Feb 4 for the permanent resettlement of the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries, calling the enclave – where the first phase of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal is in effect – a “demolition site”.

Mr Trump urged for Jordan, Egypt and other Arab states to take in Gazans, saying Palestinians there had no alternative but to abandon the coastal strip, which must be rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas militants.

A UN damage assessment released in January showed that clearing more than 50 million tonnes of rubble left in Gaza in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to US$1.2 billion (S$1.6 billion). REUTERS