Jordan and Egypt refuse to accept Gazans? Trump insists: "They will do it""

January 31, 2025   

US President Donald Trump continues to insist on his plan to transfer Gazans from the devastated Strip to Jordan and Egypt this evening (Thursday). In a statement he made in the Oval Office of the White House, the president once again referred to the transfer of Gaza residents from the Strip to neighboring countries. "They will do it, they are going to do it," Trump told a reporter who asked him about the refusal of Egyptian President al-Sisi and the King of Jordan. When asked why he was so confident, the US president replied, "We do a lot for them and they will do it.".  

???????????? BREAKING: President Trump says Egypt and Jordan "will do it" when asked on whether they will take Palestinians from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/mdDkAXfbfb

— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) January 30, 2025

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Barak Ravid today after his visit to Gaza: "The reconstruction of Gaza will take between 10 and 15 years. There is almost nothing left of Gaza, people are moving north to return to their homes, they see what happened and turn back, there is no water and no electricity, it is amazing how much damage has been caused there." Tamir Morag, Channel 14's political correspondent, responded: "As the hours pass and Trump's statements multiply, the number of people who still manage to convince themselves that the evacuation of the Strip is a gimmick is decreasing. Keep sleeping, the Gazans will also keep sleeping - until they wake up one day in a different place." Earlier this week, Trump presented his vision for the future of the Gaza Strip on Air Force One: "I want them to live in an area where they can be without disturbances, revolution and violence. When you look at the Gaza Strip, it's been hell for years. So I think we can get people out of there, and they can live in areas that are much safer, and maybe much better, and maybe much more comfortable." As part of promoting the plan, Trump revealed that he had a conversation with Jordan's King Abdullah II, during which he presented his explicit request: "I told him I want you to take in more, because I look at the Gaza Strip now and it's a mess, it really is a mess." In another conversation with reporters, when asked whether Egyptian President al-Sisi would agree to take in Gazans to his country, he replied: "I would be happy to do that, I wish he would take some of them. We helped them a lot and I'm sure he'll help us, he's a friend of mine." Egyptian President al-Sisi responded that the Gazans could not be transferred to Egypt, as this would pose a risk to the country's national security. About two weeks ago, NBC reported that the Trump administration was examining options for transferring Gaza residents to Indonesia, for the duration of the reconstruction of the Strip.