Palestine hails Egyptian president's rejection to displace Gazans

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed a statement by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on his absolute rejection to the displacement of Gazans, an idea floated by US President Donald Trump.

Sisi said the country will not participate in any forced displacement of Palestinians, calling it “an act of injustice we cannot be part of.”

"We deeply appreciate Egypt's steadfast position, which you reaffirmed today, rejecting the displacement of our people from Gaza, standing against injustice toward the Palestinian people," Abbas said in a letter late Wednesday to his Egyptian counterpart, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Abbas stressed that the current priorities are to stabilize the ceasefire in Gaza, which entered into effect on Jan. 19, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the Palestinian Authority's assumption of control over the Rafah border crossing.

Trump has suggested to “clean out” Gaza and resettle Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, describing the enclave as a “demolition site."

Cairo and Amman, however, vehemently rejected any call for the displacement or relocation of Palestinians from their land.

Israel killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and turned the territory into a wasteland of ruins and rubble, which could take years to rebuild.