Jordan proposes exiling Hamas leaders from Gaza – media
Jordan has proposed the expulsion of 3,000 military and political operatives of Hamas from Gaza, the Middle East Eye reported on Sunday, citing US and Palestinian sources briefed on the matter.
The plan reportedly calls for further disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza, paving the way for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to assume control of the embattled enclave.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed earlier this month, with both sides accusing each other of stalling negotiations that would have led to the implementation of the second phase of the truce.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed airstrikes in Gaza on March 18 and have since reoccupied strategic areas in the central part of the strip.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to annex parts of the Palestinian enclave if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages.
In February, US President Donald Trump proposed resettling the Palestinian population elsewhere and transforming Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” owned by the United States. Arab states rejected Trump’s idea and instead backed Egypt’s counterproposal of the reconstruction of Gaza without displacing its residents.
Lebanese media reported that Egypt floated the idea of temporarily relocating half a million Palestinians from Gaza to northern Sinai. Cairo has denied that it was discussing any resettlement plans.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military operation in response to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
During the ceasefire, which took effect on January 19, Hamas released 25 hostages and handed over the remains of eight others in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons, according to AP.
