U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz responded over the weekend to critics of President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, as VOA correspondent Veronika Balderas Iglesias reports, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to be respected; over the weekend, the two sides exchanged Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is still being implemented. Israeli forces withdrew on Sunday from the corridor dividing the Gaza Strip, and entire Palestinian families began their journey back to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip.
However, what will happen to the residents of Gaza after the end of the war remains an open question.
President Donald Trump has floated the idea that the population of Gaza should be resettled in other countries, and that the United States should take control of Gaza to rebuild it. President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, responded to critics of the plan on Sunday.
“You can’t turn Gaza into the Mediterranean Paris, like Beirut was in the ’70s, to ensure a better life for its residents when you have 1.8 million people living in absolute poverty and amidst piles of rubble. Anyone who doesn’t like his proposal, including the media, come to us if you have a better plan,” said Waltz in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
President Trump’s plan has received support in Israel, but it is firmly opposed by the Arab world and Palestinian leaders.
“We need to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is a very valuable part of the State of Palestine. It is part of our homeland, and we have no other homeland except the State of Palestine,” declared the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour.
Meanwhile, Israelis celebrated the release of more hostages over the weekend.
Five Thai workers who had been held by Hamas for over a year were reunited with their loved ones on Sunday.
183 Palestinian prisoners were also released as part of the agreement.
Negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are set to begin this week in Qatar.
