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Hamas officials on Thursday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for long-term American control of Gaza and the relocation of Palestinian residents, calling it "absurd" and "ridiculous."
"Trump's remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in the White House
(Video: White House)
Joining him was Izzat al-Rishq, another senior Hamas official, who also sharply criticized Trump’s remarks. “Our people in Gaza have thwarted displacement and expulsion plans under bombardment for more than 15 months. Our people are rooted in their land and will not allow any plan to remove them from it,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Hamas Politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk told Russia's RIA state news agency that the group was "ready for contact and talks with the Trump administration."
"In the past, we did not object to contacts with the administration of (former U.S. President Joe) Biden, Trump or any other U.S. administration, and we are open to talks with all international parties." It was not clear when RIA interviewed Marzouk, who was visiting Moscow on Monday for talks with the Russian foreign ministry.
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Opening remarks from Trump and Netanyahu's meeting
Marzouk told RIA that talks with the U.S. have become a kind of necessity for Hamas, considering that Washington is a key player in the Middle East. "That is why we welcomed the talks with the Americans and have no objection to this issue," he added.
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The remarks came after Trump, speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House, suggested that the U.S. could oversee Gaza and that its population could be moved elsewhere. “Why would they want to return? That place has been hell,” he said.
Asked how many Gazans he is thinking of relocating, he said, “All of them. We’re talking about probably a million [point] seven, maybe a million eight. But I think all of them. They’ll be resettled in areas where they can live a beautiful life and not be worried about dying every day.”
The proposal has sparked strong reactions across the region, with Arab leaders weighing potential responses to the controversial suggestion.