New Delhi: President Donald Trump has said that he is pressing Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza amidst the ceasefire agreement between the Israel and Hamas after months of fighting. According to an AP report, Trump plans to ‘just clean out’ the territory.
The ceasefire has allowed for the release of seven hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that military action will resume if Hamas fails to release all hostages.
Trump wants Jordan to accept more refugees
During a question-and-answer session with reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said he discussed his vision on a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would with the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sissi soon.
“I’d like him to take people. I’d like Egypt to take people,” said Trump. “You’re talking about, probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, You know it’s, over.” Trump said that he complimented Jordan for accepting the Palestinian refugees, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess,” adding that “it could be temporary or long term”.
Trump authorises delivery of heavy bombs to Israel
Trump, meanwhile, has also authorised the delivery of 2,000-pound heavy bombs to Israel, reversing a hold placed by Joe Biden, a Reuters report mentioned citing a White House source. The supply of heavy munitions had been paused by Biden, who expressed concerns over their potential impact on civilian populations.
Trump announced the policy shift via his Truth Social platform, stating, “A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!”
What Biden said on heavy bombs
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centres. I made it clear that if they go into Rafah … I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Biden told CNN in May.
The conflict, which began with a Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023, has claimed thousands of lives. According to the Gaza health ministry, over 47,000 deaths have occurred in the region after Israel launched offensive in the region.
