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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested permanently displacing Palestinians from Gaza, saying people there had no alternative but to leave the Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel's military assault.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Palestinians would "love" to leave their embattled homeland in Gaza and live elsewhere if given an option.
They would "love to leave Gaza," he told reporters at the White House. "I would think that they would be thrilled."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump on his country's truce with Hamas, amid hopes that it could lead to a more permanent end to the nearly 16-month war.
Trump, who has claimed credit for securing the pause in hostilities in Gaza, said ahead of the meeting he was likely to urge his ally to stick to the deal -- parts of which have yet to be finalized.
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Trump says he wants the US to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere.
Gaza's rescue teams recovered 19 bodies from an informal cemetery west of Gaza City.
Over 14,000 people are still unaccounted for, either presumed dead under the rubble through the Gaza Strip
World leaders and people should respect Palestinians desire to remain in Gaza, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said he believed people from the territory should be resettled elsewhere "permanently."
"Our homeland is our homeland, if part of it is destroyed, the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people selected the choice to return to it," said Riyad Mansour. "And I think that leaders and people should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday for crucial talks on the truce with Hamas, as the US president suggested permanently resettling Palestinians from war-battered Gaza.
"It would be my hope that we could do something really nice, really good, where they wouldn't want to return," Trump said as he met Netanyahu in the Oval Office.
"Why would they want to return? The place has been hell."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump on his country's truce with Hamas, amid hopes that it could lead to a more permanent end to the nearly 16-month war.
Trump, who has claimed credit for securing the pause in hostilities in Gaza, said ahead of the meeting he was likely to urge his ally to stick to the deal -- parts of which have yet to be finalized.
A senior Hamas official slammed Donald Trump's remarks on Tuesday as a "recipe for creating chaos" in the Middle East after the US president claimed that Palestinians were not leaving Gaza because "they have no alternative".
"We consider it a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region. Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass. What is required is an end to the occupation and aggression against our people, not their expulsion from their land," said Sami Abu Zuhri in a statement.
Israeli military offensives in two West Bank refugee camps have displaced nearly 5,500 Palestinian families since December, local and UN officials said Tuesday, amid escalating violence in the occupied territory.
Jonathan Fowler, spokesman for the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said an estimated 2,450 to 3,000 families have been displaced from the Tulkarem refugee camp.
Faisal Salama, head of the camp's popular committee, estimated that 80 percent of its 15,000 residents have been displaced.
Both Salama and Fowler said that obtaining precise figures is challenging because of the security situation within the camp and its fluctuating population.
"The displaced people from the camp are scattered in the suburbs and in the city of Tulkarem itself," Salama told AFP.
Trump said Palestinians would "love" to leave their embattled homeland in Gaza and live elsewhere if given an option.
They would "love to leave Gaza," he told reporters at the White House. "I would think that they would be thrilled."
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Palestinians have no alternative but to leave Gaza and he would like to see neighboring countries Jordan and Egypt take the displaced Palestinians.
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for his "strong commitment" to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey.
"I would like to express our satisfaction for the strong commitment my brother Ahmed al-Sharaa has shown in the fight against terrorism," Erdogan said after the pair held talks.
Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia, where he had sought Riyadh's support to fund Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil war.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he and Syria's newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had discussed in Ankara on Tuesday steps to be taken against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria.
Speaking alongside Sharaa at a news conference in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to help Syria's new leadership in the battle against both Islamic State and Kurdish militants.
Erdogan also said he believed the voluntary return of Syrian migrants would accelerate as Syria became more stable.
"We are working on building a strategic partnership with Turkey to confront the security threats in the region to guarantee permanent security and stability to Syria and Turkey", Sharaa said.
(Reuters)
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy said on Tuesday it was "preposterous" to believe that Gaza could be made habitable for Palestinians within five years after Israel's war on Gaza.
"It is unfair to have explained to Palestinians that they might be back in five years. That's just preposterous," Steve Witkoff told reporters outside the White House ahead of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Asked about Trump's previous suggestion to "clean out" Palestinians from Gaza, Witkoff said: "When the president talks about 'cleaning it out,' he talks about making it habitable."
US officials defended President Donald Trump's suggestion that more Palestinians in war-shattered Gaza relocate to neighbouring countries but insisted he was trying to look at the problem realistically and not imposing a solution.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the US wants to work with its Arab partners and Israel to come up with creative solutions to the challenge.
"President Trump looks at the Gaza Strip and sees it as a demolition site, sees it as impractical for it to be rebuilt within three to five years, believes it will take at least 10 to 15 and thinks it is inhumane to force people to live in an uninhabitable plot of land with unexploded ordnances and rubble," one senior official told reporters.
Trump "is looking for solutions to help the people of Gaza have normal lives while the Gaza Strip is being rebuilt, and he is trying to look at this in a realistic way," the official added.
(Reuters)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa invited Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to visit Syria soon in a joint press conference in Ankara on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw under the new Syrian administration.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in New York, urging the immediate implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire deal, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appearance at the White House.
Protests were also taking place in Washington, as activists continue to push for the agreement to be enforced.
Happening today at 12 NOON in front of the Israeli Consulate in New York City.
— Hatikvah: Progressive Israel Slate (@HatikvahSlate) February 4, 2025
We invite you to join the emergency protest and meet some of our slate members there! https://t.co/UtLRzj5Glf
UNRWA reports that 30,000 Palestinians have been displaced following Israeli raids on the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
The raids, which involved controlled explosions over the weekend, destroyed or severely damaged around 100 buildings.
Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, noted that the explosions occurred just as children were scheduled to return to school, leaving 13 UNRWA-run schools in the camp, serving about 5,000 children, still closed.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's incoming visit to Washington, becoming the first foreign leader to be invited to the country since US President Donald Trump took office, shows the Republican "will continue to stand strongly with Israel and he is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring all of the hostages return home."
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani reaffirmed his country’s support for Lebanon during a news conference in Beirut.
Sheikh Mohammed said his visit aimed to underscores Qatar’s commitment to the Lebanese people and their stability.
Al Thani also stressed the importance of Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the repeal of UN Resolution 1701 to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty.
He further condemned any Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
"We have mentioned that in all our diplomatic and international contacts," he said. "We have said that to Israel, and Qatar will continue this," he said.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has released footage of an overnight attack by extremist Israeli settlers in a village in the southern Hebron region of the occupied West Bank.
The footage shows assailants vandalising property, including puncturing car tires, smashing windows, and damaging a water tank.
Several homes were also targeted, including that of Nasser Nawaj’ah, a B’Tselem field researcher living in Susiya.
"I kept calling the police, and they insisted the army was there," Nawaj’ah told Haaretz. "But there were no soldiers, even though we were just a minute away from the Susiya base."
According to Nawaj'ah, the attackers fled when police arrived, leaving behind one of their cars.
He provided the license plate number to authorities, urging them to collect forensic evidence, but the officer on site refused to document the vehicle. Later, settlers returned in another car and retrieved the abandoned vehicle.
Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank have faced a surge in settler violence over the past month, including arson, vandalism, and assaults.
Susiya itself has been repeatedly targeted in recent years.
עשרות מתנחלים הגיעו אמש לביתו של תחקירן בצלם, נסר נוואג'עה, תקפו את ביתו ומשפחות נוספות בח'ירבת סוסיא שבדרום הר חברון.
— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) February 4, 2025
התוקפים השחיתו מיכל מים משפחתי ורכב פרטי.
המשטרה הגיעה לאחר כ- 30 דקות ואיפשרה לתוקפים לעזוב.
עדים בזירת האירוע זיהו את אחד התוקפים כשם טוב לוסקי שתועד באוגוסט… pic.twitter.com/khS41cXcev
Lebanon’s army has deployed soldiers and armoured vehicles in Taybeh, Marjayoun, as part of its role in securing border areas under the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.
The military says it will continue deployments in the eastern sector and other areas south of the Litani River in coordination with UN forces.
With Israeli forces still occupying parts of southern Lebanon, displaced residents remain advised not to return until security is assured.
انتشرت وحدات عسكرية في بلدة الطيبة – مرجعيون في القطاع الشرقي ومناطق حدودية أخرى في منطقة جنوب الليطاني بعد انسحاب العدو الإسرائيلي، بالتنسيق مع اللجنة الخماسية للإشراف على اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار (Mechanism).
— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) February 4, 2025
تجدد قيادة الجيش تأكيدها أهمية التزام المواطنين بالتوجيهات الصادرة في… pic.twitter.com/TotCjEmw8L
Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, held talks on Tuesday in Ankara with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his second international trip since ousting Bashar al-Assad, an official told news agency AFP.
The talks began shortly after Sharaa landed in the Turkish capital, the official said. He arrived on an official Turkish plane, footage from the airport showed.
He flew in from Saudi Arabia, where he was seeking support from the wealthy Gulf nation to finance Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil war.
Turkey, which has had a years-long connection with Sharaa, reopened its diplomatic mission in Syria and sent its spy chief and top diplomat for talks with him just days after his Islamist-rooted HTS overthrew Assad on December 8.
The pair will discuss "joint steps to be taken for economic recovery, sustainable stability and security", Erdogan's communications chief Fahrettin Altun said on Monday.
Despite being constrained by its own economic crisis, Turkey is offering to help with Syria's recovery.
In return, Turkey is keen to secure Damascus's support against Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria, where the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been battling Ankara-backed forces.
Turkey opposes the SDF on grounds its main component, the YPG, is aligned with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a separatist group outlawed in Turkey.
The SDF controls much of Syria's oil-producing northeast, where it has enjoyed de facto autonomy for more than a decade.
But Turkey sees it as a danger to its own security and has threatened to take military action to keep Kurdish forces away from its borders despite US efforts to broker a truce.
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar has announced the opening of an embassy in Moldova.
In a post on X, Saar added that "Israel supports Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel considers Moldova an important friend in Europe."
I am proud to open Israel's embassy in Moldova. Thank you to my gracious host, Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, @MihaiPopsoi, for your partnership and Moldova’s friendship.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) February 4, 2025
This is a historic moment that will elevate our bilateral relations! 🇮🇱🇲🇩 pic.twitter.com/P8Ms8UYlPM
An initial Israeli military investigation suggests the assailant ambushed an army post near Tayasir checkpoint in occupied West Bank overnight before opening fire in the morning, Haaretz reports.
Armed with an M-16 and wearing a military vest, he was claimed to have engaged in a gunfight before being killed with a grenade.
The army is said to be investigating why soldiers failed to detect him earlier.
Following the attack, Palestinian media reported an Israeli drone strike on the nearby village of Tamun.
No casualties have yet been reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to arrive at the White House at 4pm local time (9pm GMT) for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
According to the White House schedule, the two leaders will meet privately for 15 minutes before being joined by their teams.
A joint press conference is scheduled for 5:10pm local time. Netanyahu currently faces an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The US, which is not a party to the ICC, has repeatedly condemned the court’s decision against the Israeli leader.
A spokesperson of Palestinian group Hamas has stated that talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal have begun.
Abdul Latif al-Qanou said Hamas has maintained its concerns regarding a number of issues such as providing shelter for Palestinians in Gaza, as well as distributing aid and reconstruction efforts.
The Hamas spokesperson also accused Israel of "obstructing" humanitarian protocols mentioned in the ceasefire deal- as well as "evading and procrastinating" implementing such requirements.
"Shelter and relief for our people is an urgent humanitarian issue that cannot tolerate evasion or procrastination by the occupation," he said.
Al-Qanou also commented on the northern West Bank attack at an Israeli military checkpoint in Tayasir near the Tubas village earlier today, which led to two Israeli soldiers being killed.
The spokesperson said the attacks comes in response to Israel's "escalating aggression" and "our people's right to defend themselves."
At least 380 Palestinians have been arrested in the occupied West Bank since the Gaza ceasefire took effect, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society reported.
The total includes both those still in Israeli custody and those who were later released.
The group warned that arrests have surged to unprecedented levels following Israel’s latest military offensive and highlighted increasing mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
In the past 15 days, 110 people have been detained in Jenin and its refugee camp, while 28 arrests have been recorded in Tubas governorate, including 11 who were later released.
With just hours until Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Donald Trump at the White House, demonstrations are expected in Washington, DC, and other cities in opposition to the Gaza war.
Pro-Palestine groups, including some led by Orthodox Jewish activists in the US, are organising the protests.
During Netanyahu’s last visit to Washington, he was met with widespread demonstrations, even as lawmakers set a record for the number of standing ovations he received during a congressional address.
As before, some Democratic lawmakers may boycott speeches or meetings, criticising the US’s unconditional support for Israel amid its war on Gaza, which has killed over 61,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon have also left thousands dead over the past year, while Israel continues to occupy parts of Lebanon and Syria.
American Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews will hold a mass protest against the Zionist heretic criminal Netanyahu on Tuesday, February 4, at 2:00 p.m. In front of the White House in Washington DC. https://t.co/ssCKy2Wp3H pic.twitter.com/8IWHu81d9I
— Voice of Rabbis (@voiceofrabbis) February 3, 2025
Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the Menashe Brigade area in the northern West Bank, the Israeli army said in a statement.
The army added that earlier, it had killed a person who opened fire on soldiers stationed at a military post in the region
The Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank is heading in a "catastrophic direction", the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday, after a new Israeli military operation levelled several buildings.
"The camp is going into a catastrophic direction," UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma told reporters in Geneva, saying large parts of the camp had been "completely destroyed in a series of detonations by the Israeli forces".
Fifteen Palestinian prisoners among dozens freed by Israel under the 19 January ceasefire agreement with Hamas arrived in Turkey on Tuesday following deportation to Egypt, the Hamas prisoners media office said.
They are the first taken in by a third country apart from Egypt under the ceasefire terms, which bar prisoners convicted by Israel of violent attacks from returning to the Palestinian territories.
A Turkish security source said 15 Palestinian prisoners were due to arrive via Egypt but gave no more details.
The first phase of the ceasefire has led to Hamas' release of 18 hostages and Israel's release of 583 jailed Palestinians, of whom at least 79 were sent to Egypt. As well as those going to Turkey, some may go to Algeria or Qatar, Hamas sources say.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of obstructing the humanitarian corridor outlined in the ceasefire agreement.
According to Qassem, Israel is preventing the entry of essential aid, including tents, gas, and heavy equipment needed to clear rubble.
He urged mediators to intervene and ensure the humanitarian provisions of the agreement are upheld.
Israeli airstrikes hit two locations in Tamoun, south of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported.
Local sources said the strikes coincided with Israel’s ongoing assault on the town and the nearby Far’a refugee camp, now in its third day.
Ambulances were dispatched to the targeted areas, but no injuries were reported.
The Trump administration has requested congressional approval for a $1 billion weapons sale to Israel, including bombs, armoured bulldozers, and other military equipment, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Israeli forces have forcibly displaced approximately 3,420 families from the Jenin refugee camp at gunpoint, according to the Jenin Governorate, as reported by Al Jazeera Arabic.
Troops have continued demolishing homes in the camp while deploying drones to drop hand grenades.
Since the raid began, at least 38 Palestinians from Jenin and the camp have been killed, officials said, warning that the death toll may rise as Israeli forces block ambulance crews from accessing the area.
The Israeli army said Tuesday that its troops had killed a gunman who critically wounded two soldiers when he opened fire at a military post in the occupied West Bank.
"A terrorist fired at soldiers at a military post in Tayasir. The soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorist and killed him," the military said in a statement.
Israeli emergency services said six people were treated at the scene and evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
Israeli army radio reported that two of the soldiers were in critical condition.
Israeli forces have been engaged in what the army says is "an operation to thwart terrorism" in the northern area of the West Bank, primarily in the area of Jenin, long a hotbed of militancy.
On Sunday, the army said that it had killed at least 50 fighters since it launched an operation on January 21, while the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said Israeli forces have killed 70 people in the territory since the start of the year.
The operation has also seen troops levelling buildings in a refugee camp adjacent to Jenin.
The offensive has drawn sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, which called Israel's actions "ethnic cleansing".
Israel is preparing to send a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital Doha to discuss continued implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday.
Under the terms of the original deal that sealed a 42-day truce and an exchange of Israeli and Palestinian captives, talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday.