Hamas responds to Trump’s statements about buying Gaza: It’s not a property that can be bought and sold
Hamas condemned, on Monday, US President Donald Trump’s statements about buying and owning Gaza, describing them as absurd statements.
“We condemn Trump’s statements about buying and owning Gaza, which are absurd,” said Izzat al Rishq, a member of Hamas movement’s political bureau, in a statement.
He explained that these statements reflect a deep ignorance of Palestine and the region.
Izzat al Rishq continued, saying, “Gaza isn’t a property that can be bought and sold… It’s an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land”.
He stressed that dealing with the Palestinian issue with a real estate dealer’s mentality would be doomed to failure, stressing that the Palestinian people will foil all displacement and deportation plans.
He concluded by saying, “Gaza belongs to its people, and they won’t leave it except to their cities and villages occupied in 1948”.
On Sunday, Trump said in statements while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One that he is committed to buying and owning the Gaza Strip.
He continued, “I am committed to buying and owning Gaza,” claiming that there is nothing left to return to in Gaza, and that it’s absolutely unsafe, referring to the destruction caused by Israeli raids.
“Think of it as a huge real estate project, and the United States will own it very slowly,” he said.
Trump stressed that Gaza is a completely destroyed area, adding, “We’ll raze it to the ground and fix it, and there will be no one there… There will be no Hamas there.”
He continued, “We’ll build it through other rich countries in the Middle East that will build good places for people for the Palestinians to live in… Maybe they will live in harmony and peace for the first time in hundreds of years”.
Trump claimed that allowing Gaza Palestinians to return would be a big mistake.
On February 4, Trump revealed, in a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, his country’s intention to seize Gaza after displacing its entire Palestinian population to other countries.
Trump didn’t rule out however, the possibility of deploying US forces to support the reconstruction of Gaza, expecting the United States to have long-term ownership in the Palestinian sector.
Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s plan, calling it the first new idea in years.
Since January 25, Trump has been promoting a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, which was rejected by both countries, and was joined by other Arab countries and regional and international organizations.
These statements came about two weeks after the start of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which was reached through the mediation of the United States, Egypt and Qatar on January 19.
