RIYADH: Eight Islamic and Arab countries on Sunday condemned plans voiced by Israeli government ministers for the removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, saying the designs jeopardise a US-backed peace in the territory. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israel had plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza but was waiting for US approval on where to displace the territory's population. A day later, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the plan aimed to remove 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia and Turkiye said they condemned in "the strongest terms" the "plans and mechanisms they proposed aimed at forcibly expelling Palestinians from their land".
The ministers warned of "grave consequences of transforming calls for forced displacement into declared policy or practical measures". "Such measures directly challenge international efforts to achieve peace, particularly President Donald Trump's comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which includes a firm rejection of forced displacement," they added referring to a US-backed, October 2025 peace plan for Gaza. — AFP
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