Cairo – On Thursday, Israel announced that it has initiated preparations for the potential relocation of a significant number of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, following a plan proposed by President Donald Trump. At the same time, Egyptian officials have been actively engaging in diplomatic efforts to counter this proposal, which has faced widespread international rejection.
The Trump administration has made adjustments to its original plan, stating that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary. However, U.S. officials have not disclosed many details regarding the timeline or specifics of how the plan would be implemented.
In a social media update, Trump stated that following the conflict, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, emphasizing that no American military presence would be required for the redevelopment of the area.
The Palestinian leadership has firmly opposed Trump’s initiative, expressing deep concerns that such actions would effectively prevent any possibility of refugees returning to their homeland. Egypt has also cautioned that the forced displacement of Palestinians could destabilize the region and jeopardize its longstanding peace agreement with Israel, which has been a pillar of regional stability and American influence for many years.
Saudi Arabia, another crucial ally to the U.S., has also rejected the idea of mass relocation and stated that it will not seek to normalize relations with Israel—an objective of the Trump administration—without first establishing a sovereign Palestinian state that encompasses both Gaza and the West Bank.
While Trump and Israeli officials frame the proposal as a voluntary migration from the area devastated by conflict, the Palestinians collectively assert their intention to stay in their homeland. The plans have raised questions about how the Trump administration and Israeli leaders would respond if Palestinians opt to remain, with Human Rights Watch and other organizations labeling the idea as potentially constituting “ethnic cleansing.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz mentioned that he has instructed the military to take steps to facilitate the migration of numerous Palestinians through land passages and to arrange special exits via sea and air. However, there was no immediate indication that such preparations were visible on the ground.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has not publicly commented on Trump’s unexpected proposal for the relocation of much of Gaza’s 2.3 million citizens. Before a fragile ceasefire emerged last month, Israel’s extended military campaign against the militant group Hamas had left vast sections of Gaza in ruins.
Nevertheless, unnamed Egyptian officials reported on Wednesday that their government has made it clear, through backchannel communications, to both the Trump administration and Israel that it will reject any relocation of Palestinians, asserting that the nearly fifty-year peace treaty with Israel is at risk if these plans proceed.
Their message has reportedly reached officials in the Pentagon, the State Department, and various U.S. congressional members. Additionally, it has been communicated to Israel and its Western European allies, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. A Western diplomat confirmed that Egypt conveyed its strong opposition to the proposal through various discreet channels, emphasizing that it views the plan as a serious threat to its national security.
U.S. officials have since mellowed Trump’s original claim that he intended for a permanent resettlement of Gaza’s population, stating that Palestinian relocation would be temporary and clarifying that there were no definite commitments regarding military boots on the ground or financial expenditures in Gaza.
Egyptian representatives maintain that they see no necessity for Palestinian relocation to facilitate reconstruction, emphasizing their commitment to establishing a Palestinian state encompassing Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem—territories taken by Israel during the 1967 Middle East conflict.
Conversely, Israel has expressed resistance to the notion of Palestinian statehood, asserting its intent to continue its long-term security oversight over both Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel remains unrecognized globally, with the country claiming the entire city as its capital.
Last week, Egypt convened a meeting with senior diplomats from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—nations influential in the 2020 Abraham Accords brokered by Trump with Israel. Those states unanimously opposed any plans for the transfer of Palestinians outside Gaza or the West Bank.
In a recent editorial, Egypt’s primary state-run newspaper, Al-Ahram, cautioned that “the independence of Arab nations, the unity of their peoples, and their territorial integrity are under severe threat.”
