“,”elementId”:”bad2b702-6969-4696-9940-84809c3bb3b4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One yesterday, Trump, an ally of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
“,”elementId”:”5c7de6a6-2e6d-4c80-879e-58a6bab5bcfd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trump also told reporters that he had call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday.
“,”elementId”:”c0fb4cba-5439-4cf1-9929-394d560570a0″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The newly inaugurated Republican president said he complimented Jordan for having successfully integrated Palestinian refugees and that he told the king: “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.” For context,Jordan is already home to more than 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the UN.
“,”elementId”:”aa709e05-737e-4e9f-b4b7-ce83baa81ba9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trump added:
“,”elementId”:”98f21f75-6fa5-4a5c-be5a-b71cf688ac24″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
I don’t know, something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.
\n
“,”elementId”:”5ea06c24-badb-462d-9e4f-910c25071a1b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trump said that the potential housing “could be temporary” or “could be long-term”. During Israel’s 15 month war on Gaza, more than two-thirds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged by one of the most intensive bombardments in modern times. It has sparked a refugee crisis as large parts of the territory are now uninhabitable.
“,”elementId”:”c03c2dc0-b36d-4d97-859c-f3ce092f6550″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737880938000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”03.42 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737881699000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”03.54 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737881699000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”03.54 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”03.54″,”title”:”Trump wants Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees and suggests plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sun 26 Jan 2025 03.54 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 26 Jan 2025 03.40 EST”},{“id”:”6795eff68f081abff9bf03cd”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hello, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the developments in the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and the crisis in the Middle East more widely.
“,”elementId”:”5ef715a8-30c2-479a-8355-2832a8369e0b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, people displaced from their homes in Gaza should now be allowed to move freely around the Palestinian territory.
“,”elementId”:”5ad9cc07-6466-460a-b3e2-50c65a4fda74″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
But thousands of displaced Palestinian people are reportedly being blocked from returning to their homes in northern Gaza as Israel accuses Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, from not honouring the terms of the ceasefire deal.
“,”elementId”:”28cd7c42-c376-49a3-9d23-643e6f0ac6fc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
On Saturday, armed members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad handed over four Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross as part of the agreement. The freed soldiers are Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, who served with the Israel Defense Forces.
“,”elementId”:”c1b90a4f-e1ad-48e0-9c77-cb93772950bc”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3176″,”width”:”5293″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/5293.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3176″,”width”:”5293″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”3d57432c-e5a7-4e4a-8a07-7e9dbc8c0f48″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1a955448e32e47e78c6e70c398eeb2a2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=76c639f6a9f9dfde617f4f002ca120a5″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9f0b30f31806ea23a40890280d8c9552″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=17123057bb86de67445e4bfb7864c7ef”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a96ad935a2dd959800df2da3944d661b”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6bce9d652baef16f24b9a3ab7bb0dcb1″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9068cce7924968bc13572e444e0ee891″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e9ccfa93acfe77c45ab026a295b669a3″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=977538f4aeb920c15d87451e9b567fef”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0659cd802447bf841c5d51a356fb828c”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6e4e6b59bd8b0efa7f451b6912a9e520″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3cf3145bf91d125b1f5970fd0317c443″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7c9fe5205513933e40df53ece894ae7a”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9c8ce7ac3a6eefa2ab64e5c5c359667e”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1a955448e32e47e78c6e70c398eeb2a2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=76c639f6a9f9dfde617f4f002ca120a5″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9f0b30f31806ea23a40890280d8c9552″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=17123057bb86de67445e4bfb7864c7ef”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a96ad935a2dd959800df2da3944d661b”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6bce9d652baef16f24b9a3ab7bb0dcb1″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ec42be9ee5c74db5c519af88516c56d5″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7aa0322552de7a9e5fb24511cc822d34″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ca38ace74fbf7a9fec1fb459f188c2bb”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a3a6bdd4092b04340307629501ca2935″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1a955448e32e47e78c6e70c398eeb2a2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=76c639f6a9f9dfde617f4f002ca120a5″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9f0b30f31806ea23a40890280d8c9552″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=17123057bb86de67445e4bfb7864c7ef”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a96ad935a2dd959800df2da3944d661b”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6bce9d652baef16f24b9a3ab7bb0dcb1″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1a955448e32e47e78c6e70c398eeb2a2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=76c639f6a9f9dfde617f4f002ca120a5″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9f0b30f31806ea23a40890280d8c9552″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=17123057bb86de67445e4bfb7864c7ef”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a96ad935a2dd959800df2da3944d661b”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6bce9d652baef16f24b9a3ab7bb0dcb1″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0c54d1e1b557f527b5df0aa208d55ccd”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b24f1be6965c477fc31f20c93a024cf1″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=84f57824120d0f62cec8f9e9be1cf8b5″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2a6cff5db4f6bfd3d1b146304e940dd8″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=219ee6f76c626d3b915157f226462743″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ca00b0923ae645fbb94b6cfe164c86a0″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=724bf9a885febc2ea6da904c04d23a82″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=04ab2c35b35ecb20381f1c8fef1160cf”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5410ef30ae520866d3d27d4540abad4f”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8707d0267d3f2650aa6661f1cf7f0206″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7cdc46f19ce478a3e11daac9e794f42b”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a7df19205f97c3a47d55241581d04e1f”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=beae13da89154681c0886866df659c8e”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4753bd69d0b1e6abc7811dabc3498a33f20db45e/0_353_5293_3176/master/5293.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5010075436f97f495c5565eb8f6465ff”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Palestinians wait in the central Gaza strip to be allowed to return to their homes in the north after being displaced by Israeli bombardments during the war.”,”caption”:”Palestinians wait in the central Gaza strip to be allowed to return to their homes in the north after being displaced by Israeli bombardments during the war. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
However, a dispute broke out when the German-Israeli citizen Arbel Yehoud, aged 28 at the time of her capture, was not included in the swap, even though Hamas was expected to free more non-military hostages.
“,”elementId”:”3ec3fcb8-7818-4a7a-a8e4-48c0bfe38428″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Yehoud is one of the last female civilians held in Gaza. She is reportedly held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second largest armed faction, rather than Hamas, which led the 7 October 2023 on southern Israel, complicating her potential handover and release.
“,”elementId”:”a0dce32e-fed5-4cf8-9378-86304d791dd8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hamas insisted Yehoud is alive and will be freed next week. But Israel has responded by delaying the planned withdrawal of some of its troops from Gaza, which would have allowed Palestinians to return to the devastated northern areas of the strip, which include Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya and Jabalia.
“,”elementId”:”b120adf2-d985-4844-8bb4-12b04373c9bd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Al Jazeera is reporting this morning that thousands of Palestinian people are waiting for a permit by the Israeli military to access northern Gaza, much of which lies in rubble after the renewed Israeli assault on it last autumn.
“,”elementId”:”d9896b23-40c9-4020-b0b8-5e116b5e3472″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Israeli military has warned people that they cannot move north past the Netzarim Corridor – which divides the territory – as planned. We will bring you the latest on this throughout the day.
“,”elementId”:”4eda8c61-5dbf-4679-8052-91155ea4b6f7″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1737880821000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”03.40 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1737880935000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”03.42 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1737880821000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”03.40 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”03.40″,”title”:”Palestinians blocked from returning to northern Gaza by Israeli military”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Sun 26 Jan 2025 03.54 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 26 Jan 2025 03.40 EST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”absoluteServerTimes”:false,”renderingTarget”:”Web”}”>
Key events
Trump wants Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees and suggests plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza
US President Donald Trump has indicated that he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One yesterday, Trump, an ally of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
Trump also told reporters that he had call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday.
The newly inaugurated Republican president said he complimented Jordan for having successfully integrated Palestinian refugees and that he told the king: “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.” For context,Jordan is already home to more than 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the UN.
Trump added:
I don’t know, something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.
Trump said that the potential housing “could be temporary” or “could be long-term”. During Israel’s 15 month war on Gaza, more than two-thirds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged by one of the most intensive bombardments in modern times. It has sparked a refugee crisis as large parts of the territory are now uninhabitable.
Palestinians blocked from returning to northern Gaza by Israeli military
Hello, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the developments in the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and the crisis in the Middle East more widely.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, people displaced from their homes in Gaza should now be allowed to move freely around the Palestinian territory.
But thousands of displaced Palestinian people are reportedly being blocked from returning to their homes in northern Gaza as Israel accuses Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, from not honouring the terms of the ceasefire deal.
On Saturday, armed members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad handed over four Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross as part of the agreement. The freed soldiers are Karina Ariev, 20, Daniella Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Albag, 19, who served with the Israel Defense Forces.
However, a dispute broke out when the German-Israeli citizen Arbel Yehoud, aged 28 at the time of her capture, was not included in the swap, even though Hamas was expected to free more non-military hostages.
Yehoud is one of the last female civilians held in Gaza. She is reportedly held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second largest armed faction, rather than Hamas, which led the 7 October 2023 on southern Israel, complicating her potential handover and release.
Hamas insisted Yehoud is alive and will be freed next week. But Israel has responded by delaying the planned withdrawal of some of its troops from Gaza, which would have allowed Palestinians to return to the devastated northern areas of the strip, which include Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya and Jabalia.
Al Jazeera is reporting this morning that thousands of Palestinian people are waiting for a permit by the Israeli military to access northern Gaza, much of which lies in rubble after the renewed Israeli assault on it last autumn.
The Israeli military has warned people that they cannot move north past the Netzarim Corridor – which divides the territory – as planned. We will bring you the latest on this throughout the day.
