The Trump administration is warning Egypt that if it doesn't agree to take 700,000 Gazan refugees, it could lose billions in aid when the U.S. offers the same deal to other nations.
U.A.E. President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo over the weekend to convey the offer from the U.S., according to a UK and Qatari media source.
Egypt's struggling economy could benefit from the sizeable aid package, but if it waits much longer to accept the deal, the U.S. will offer it elsewhere, a source close to the discussion said.
Cairo could also lose existing aid from the U.S. of $1.3 to $1.5 billion if it refuses. So far, Cairo has resisted the idea.
Trump said last month that he wants to resettle Gaza's entire population and turn it into an economic hub for the Middle East, with the U.S. in charge of the territory.
If he's able to do so, it will be a major transformation of the entire region and an entirely new Middle East strategy.
The area is still a battleground as Israel tries to eradicate Hamas terrorists using it for a base. Many civilians have been killed by Israeli forces because Hamas has used them as human shields and hidden war resources in civilian locations like schools and hospitals.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced a voluntary resettlement program in Gaza, headed by a new department and in alignment with Trump's stated goals.
“I welcome President Trump’s bold initiative, which can create extensive opportunities for those in Gaza who wish to leave, assist them in resettling in host countries, and support long-term reconstruction efforts in a demilitarized, threat-free Gaza after Hamas—an effort that will take many years," Katz stated in a post on X.
Katz further said he expects the governments of Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others who have criticized Israel for attacking civilian areas to take in the refugees or be accused of hypocrisy, and said that Canada was already forming a resettlement plan.
Polling has indicated that a majority of Gazans, 52%, would leave if they could. Of those, 14% said they would leave permanently and 38% said they would temporarily relocate.
A Gallup poll of Gazans found that, if given the opportunity to leave Gaza, more than half of them would leave—either temporarily or permanently pic.twitter.com/YOfk7VnFTh
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) March 21, 2025
Relocating the citizenry of Gaza would solve several problems for Israel; reducing civilian casualties, making it easier to find and eliminate Hamas terrorists, and depriving the terrorists of resources it is currently taking from Gazan civilians.
A ceasefire ended before the deadline earlier this month when Hamas failed to release hostages as agreed.
