Trump: 'Nobody is expelling any Palestinians'

CAIRO – 13 March 2025: Amidst global outcry over US President Donald Trump’s previous Gaza “takeover” plan unveiled last month, he stated on Wednesday, “nobody is expelling any Palestinians.”

Trump made the remarks during a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin from the Oval Office when a Voice of America reporter asked about his plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza.

Trump faced Arab and international backlash after declaring during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too.”

His idea was to “own” the enclave and relocate its two million residents to neighboring countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan, without allowing them to come back later.

When asked by Fox's Bret Baier if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza under his plan, Trump replied: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing.”

Trump justified his proposal by claiming that Gaza has become “a demolition site” and that it would be “inhumane” to force people to live there.

However, he later stated that he would not impose his “good” plan regarding Gaza.

REPORTER: What about the president's plan to expel Palestinians out of Gaza?

TRUMP: Nobody is expelling any Palestinians. Who are you with?

REPORTER: I'm with Voice of America, sir.

TRUMP: Oh, no wonder. pic.twitter.com/wZJ5A3JQYr

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 12, 2025

Arab countries and Europe have rejected Trump’s proposal, affirming that Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state under an aspired two-state solution.

Earlier this month, Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian $53 billion plan for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, which has been supported by European leaders.

The initiative aims to provide temporary housing for hundreds of thousands of Gazans in the first six months, while establishing permanent housing throughout the five-year timeframe of the project.

Jordan's Permanent Representative to the Arab League Ambassador Amjad Adaileh confirmed on Wednesday that a delegation of Arab states will be formed to visit the US and western countries to discuss the reconstruction plan.

He noted that the details of the initiative will become clear in the coming weeks, and possibly days.

The war in Gaza over the past 16 months has killed more than 48,000 people and displaced at least 1.9 million people (around 90 percent of the population), reported the UN.

Moreover, over 60 percent of homes and 65 percent of roads have been devastated with roughly 51 million tons of rubble blanketing the enclave, according to UN estimates.

Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed an Egyptian plan for Gaza reconstruction, aimed to provide an alternative to a proposal unveiled by US President Donald Trump to “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/ZAr3dHft4s

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 6, 2025

The US has intensified efforts to secure the release of captives taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and still held there.

Last week, the US held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, representing a significant departure from the US longstanding policy of avoiding direct engagement with the movement.

US President Donald Trump's captive envoy, Adam Boehler, who is in charge of negotiating with Hamas described the talks as “very helpful,” stating that a deal can be reached “within weeks.”