TRANSCRIPT
Reaction continues following a proposed plan by United States Donald Trump to transform Gaza into what he is calling the "Riviera of the Middle East".
The plan proposes resettling Palestinians from the enclave to Egypt and Jordan.
On Trump-owned social media company Truth Social on Thursday evening, Mr Trump said the Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting.
He added that no soldiers from the US would be needed for the plan.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has reportedly instructed the military to formulate a plan for Palestinians to leave Gaza.
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar says it's too early to go into detail.
"We don't have details yet, but we can talk about principles. The principles must be everyone that is ready to immigrate, wants to immigrate from his free will. It is moral to give that option."
At this stage it is not clear if Mr Trump is serious about his plans to redevelop Gaza and forcibly relocate Palestinians.
In a video recorded in Washington, DC, a day after a meeting with the US President, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had this to say about Mr Trump's plan.
"I think it is worth listening very well to this idea, which is the first original idea to be raised in years. I also spoke with top administration officials, with the vice president, the national security advisor, with Secretary of Defence (Pete) Hegseth at the Pentagon, all of them great friends of the State of Israel. From there I went to Congress where I met with the heads of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, and they all agreed with me on two things: One, that Iran must not have nuclear weapons and two, that Hamas must be eliminated. It cannot be there in Gaza."
The Trump administration has tried to dial back aspects of the president's proposal after it was widely rejected internationally, saying the relocation of Palestinians would be temporary.
It is possible that Mr Trump may be serious about his plan which could be considered a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
But international law means different things in different countries.
The US President does not recognise the ICC, signing an executive order authorising economic and travel sanctions against people who work on ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.
In the region, Egypt has warned that an expulsion of Palestinians would destabilise the region and undermine its peace treaty with Israel, considered a cornerstone of stability and American influence for decades.
Palestinians have vehemently rejected Trump's proposal, fearing that Israel would never allow refugees to return.
Palestinian man Qassem Abu Hassoun who has been displaced by the war says he just wants to return to his home which after a year and half of conflict no longer exists.
“No matter what the Israeli defense minister says about the displacement of the people of Gaza strip, this is not possible. This is our country, our land, we will hang on to it till the last moment. We have been waiting for a year and a half, just like the baby waits for food and water, we have waited for the ceasefire to start to come back to our homes. Despite that we don’t have houses or homes anymore, so we got displaced to the rubble and we built tents and stayed.”
China has also weighed into the plan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun says the next step for Gaza should focus on reconstruction.
"Gaza is the Gaza of Palestinians, an integral part of the Palestinian territory, not a political bargaining chip, let alone the target of a law of the jungle. Gaza has been devastated by war, and is full of suffering and devastation. The international community, especially major powers, should work together to provide humanitarian assistance and reconstruction to Gaza, rather than adding insult to injury.”
British Minister for Women and Equalities Anneliese Dodds has told the British Parliament that the UK would not support any forced displacement.
"We would oppose, Mr. Speaker, any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians should be able to return to and rebuild their homes and their lives. That is a right guaranteed under international law."
US secretary of state Mark Rubio says the plan by Mr Trump is a realistic one, about fixing Gaza and the damage that has been caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"Well, again, I mean, that area, when you're removing munitions that are unexploded, I don't think you want people living next to unexploded munitions and weapons depots that have been left behind or are in place because of what Hamas has done. So I think that's just a realistic reality that in order to fix a place like that, people are going to have to live somewhere else in the interim."
