Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that his country was ready to temporarily host half a million Gazans who would be evacuated from the Gaza Strip, according to a Friday report by Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
According to the report, the Gazans would be allocated a city in the North of the Sinai Peninsula.
The comment reportedly came during a conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the situation in the Middle East, in which the Egyptian leader was present, among other attendees.
According to the report, the temporary relocation offer has raised concerns with Jordan, who has previously taken a strong stance against such a move.
Trump’s plan
In early February, US President Donald Trump announced his Gaza relocation plan during a press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington.
The plan proposed to relocate Gazans to neighboring Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan and for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip.
Later in February, the US president said he would “recommend” his Gaza plan but would not force it in an interview with Fox News.
In early March, Egypt announced its $53 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza. The proposal, adopted by the Arab summit, countered that of Trump and rejected the proposal to relocate Palestinians from the Strip.
The proposal would allow Palestinians to remain in Gaza during a five-year phased approach to reconstructing Gaza, with a focus on rebuilding infrastructure, housing, and essential services.
Later in March, Trump appeared to walk back on his plan, noting “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza” during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at the White House.
Egypt’s foreign ministry subsequently said it appreciated the US president’s statement on not calling for Gazans to leave.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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