jpost
US President Donald Trump said that no one would be ‘expelled’ from Gaza ahead of his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Wednesday at the White House.
‘No one is expelling anyone from Gaza,’ Trump said in the statement alongside Martin.
Trump’s remarks on Gaza come after he made an initial proposal in February to relocate all residents from Gaza so that the US could take over the Strip and rebuild it.
Additionally, Arab foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to continue consultations and coordination with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan during a meeting in Doha, according to a joint statement.
Consultations will continue on the plan with Witkoff, as a ‘basis for the reconstruction efforts’ in the Gaza Strip, the statement said.
Israel-Ireland relations
Martin spoke on Gaza as well before his meeting with Trump, saying that aid needed to be surged into Gaza.
Martin also called for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages still held in Hamas captivity since the October 7 attacks in 2023 by the resistance group.
In December, Israel closed its embassy in Ireland, citing the country’s ‘anti-Israel policies.’
A week prior, Ireland had announced its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide.
‘The actions and antisemitic rhetoric used by Ireland against Israel are rooted in the delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state, along with double standards. Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel,’ Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated when he announced the closure of the embassy.
Ireland had previously said in May that it would recognize an independent Palestinian state.