Hamas official: Trump's Gaza relocation plan a 'recipe for creating chaos'

5/2/2025 13:52

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about taking over the Gaza Strip are "ridiculous" and "absurd" and could destabilise the Middle East.



Abu Zuhri said, "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."



Trump said the U.S. would take control of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere, actions that would shatter decades of U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and infuriate Arab states.



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



Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement, Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land.



The announcement on Gaza followed Trump's shock proposal earlier on Tuesday for the permanent resettlement of the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, calling the enclave - where the first phase of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal is in effect - a "demolition site."