Hamas called for “solidarity marches” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to remove the Gazan population from the Strip in order to rebuild it.
“We … call on the masses of our people, our Arab and Islamic nation, and the free people of the world to go out in massive solidarity marches” to denounce “the plans to displace our Palestinian people from their land,” the terrorist group said in a statement on Wednesday.
Trump said the United States will “take over” Gaza, speaking during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 4.
Initially, Trump said Palestinians could return to Gaza, but he reversed himself on Feb. 10, telling Fox News host Bret Baier that Palestinians who leave the Gaza Strip would not return under his plan “because they’re gonna have much better housing” elsewhere.
Trump has suggested that the current population of Gaza would be moved to one large site or various locations. In an unverified report, Israel’s Channel 12 claimed that three areas being considered are Morocco, Somaliland and Puntland, a region in northeast Somalia that declared itself an autonomous state in 1998.
Netanyahu expressed support for the plan and a poll found that most Israeli Jews did so as well.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel struck on Jan. 19 appears to be disintegrating. Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are attempting to resuscitate it as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for talks, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Netanyahu said on Tuesday that unless Hamas returns all Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, the ceasefire will expire and the Israel Defense Forces will resume fighting until it totally defeats Hamas.
His ultimatum followed an “in-depth, four-hour discussion” by the Cabinet.
“We all expressed outrage at the shocking state of our three hostages who were freed last Saturday. We all also welcomed President Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages by noon on Saturday,” the prime minister wrote.
Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to amass forces in and around the Gaza Strip “in light of Hamas’s statement about its decision to violate the [ceasefire] agreement,” Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas’s announcement that it would delay the release of hostages until further notice.
The statement by Netanyahu announcing the ultimatum followed remarks by Trump on Feb. 10, who suggested Saturday at noon as a deadline after which “all hell will break loose” unless Hamas frees all hostages.
