Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit rejected any plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, saying Wednesday that such resettlement would be “unacceptable.”
Aboul Gheit told the World Governments Summit that U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to move the roughly 2 million Palestinians out of war-ravaged Gaza would push the region into a cycle of crises with a “damaging effect on peace and stability.”
“It’s unacceptable for the Arab world, which has fought this idea for 100 years,” Aboul Gheit said.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said after talks Tuesday with Trump that he reiterated his country’s “steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
“Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” Abdullah said on X.
He highlighted what he said was Trump’s “instrumental” role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza and called on the United States and all stakeholders to ensure the halt in fighting holds.
Trump has discussed a plan under which the United States would take over Gaza and Palestinians would have no right to return. Other countries in the region, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have rejected the idea.
The status of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was in question Wednesday amid a dispute concerning the next planned release of hostage from Gaza set for Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said if more hostages are not freed by Saturday, then the Israeli military “will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated.”
Trump had earlier suggested canceling the ceasefire agreement if all hostages are not released by Saturday.
Trump made his remarks Monday after Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and threatened to delay the release of three hostages set to be freed Saturday.
A Hamas official said Tuesday the only way for the captives to be freed was to respect the terms of the truce.
Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, also said Palestinians were targeted “with airstrikes and gunfire across various areas” and said Israel has failed “to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid as agreed.”
A United Nations official said 12,600 humanitarian aid trucks have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began and the immediate threat of famine has dissipated.
Since the ceasefire took effect last month, Hamas has freed 21 hostages and Israel has released more than 730 prisoners. The next exchange on Saturday calls for the release of three more Israelis in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel.
In Paris, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Hamas to adhere to the planned hostage release.
“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” he said. “I appeal to Hamas to proceed with the planned liberation of hostages next Saturday.”
“Both sides must fully abide by their commitments in the ceasefire agreement and resume serious negotiations in Doha for the second phase,” Guterres said.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the October 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities. Israel says the death toll includes 17,000 militants it has killed.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.