Palestinians condemn Trump’s proposal to ‘clean out’ Gaza

The proposal by American President Donald Trump for them to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip and sent to Egypt and Jordan has sparked widespread protests from Palestinians.

Trump urged the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to temporarily or permanently bring Palestinians out of Gaza after saying it was time to “clean out” the besieged Strip.

Palestinians on Sunday overwhelmingly opposed the proposal, with Gaza residents insisting they would stay in the coastal region while the Palestinian Authority (PA) claimed it would violate its “red lines.”

Nafiz Halawa, a Palestinian national from Nuseirat in central Gaza, told Al Jazeera, “It’s impossible for people to accept this.” The idea of leaving our country is “absolutely impossible,” according to the statement “the weak might leave because of the suffering they have endured.”

Elham al-Shabli also rejected the idea. We would have done that a long time ago if we had wanted to leave. We will remain despite what happens because of the genocidal war they are having, she said.

The plan “constitutes a blatant violation of the red lines we have consistently warned against,” according to the PA in a statement.

We make sure that the Palestinian people will never forgo their holy sites or their land, and that they will never allow the Nagba catastrophes of 1948 and 1967 to occur again. Our people will remain steadfast and will not leave their homeland”, it said.

It urged Trump to carry out the ceasefire in Gaza, ensure the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, establish the Palestinian Authority as the region’s ruling body, and advance efforts to establish a Palestinian state of his own.

Hamas, the Palestinian organization that governs Gaza, argued that the US administration must renounce proposals that conflict with Israeli “schemes” and Palestinian people’s rights. They have been voicing their opposition to “the most heinous acts of genocide” and displacement since Israel started its war on Gaza in October 2023.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza for over 15 months, called Trump’s comments an encouragement of “war crimes”.

Ayman Safadi, the country’s foreign minister, said Amman’s “rejection of displacement is fixed and unchangeable” and that efforts to establish a sovereign Palestinian state are under way.

Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also appeared to be caught up in Trump’s comments, who claimed in an interview with the US outlet CNN that he does not think the idea is “overly practical” and thinks Arab nations in the region would reject it.

Israel obstructs Gaza’s northern region’s return.

Trump’s comments come a week after a truce deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect, with two rounds of captives-for-prisoners exchanges completed.

As Israel refused to open crossing points after it accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, thousands of Palestinians waited at roadblocks in northern Gaza on Sunday to return to their homes.

After the release of Israeli civilian captor Arbel Yehud, who is being held by the PIJ in Gaza, Israel announced that it would open the crossing points. According to the truce agreement, civilian prisoners were to be freed before soldiers.

In exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners, the PIJ announced to the PIJ on Sunday that Yehud would be freed before Saturday.

In addition, PIJ Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed al-Hindi added that his organization is “waiting for a practical response” from the mediators regarding how to allow Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from a crossing point on Gaza’s al-Rasheed Street, said there were “no tents” to provide shelter for the displaced people.

“There is no place for them here, there are no tents. The majority of people are staying because they destroyed their tents, he said, because they believed that the four Israeli prisoners would be able to enter the Strip’s northern section once their agreements were reached.

Source: Aljazeera