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On Wednesday, the leader of the UN Refugee Agency expressed concern following President Donald Trump’s controversial suggestion for the U.S. to assume responsibility for the Gaza Strip and resettle its residents. The proposal, which seemed to emerge out of nowhere, raised alarm over its potential consequences for both the displaced populations and the broader geopolitical landscape.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, expressed his uncertainty about the proposal in an interview with AFP in Brussels, stating that the details of the plan were unclear. He emphasized that the lack of clarity made it challenging to comment on such a delicate and sensitive issue.
“It’s something very surprising, but we have to see what it means in concrete terms,” Grandi said.
President Trump’s announcement on Tuesday, made during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, left the room in stunned silence, with audible gasps heard throughout the conference. Netanyahu was in Washington for talks with the U.S. president at the time.
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Though lacking detailed plans, Trump proposed to transform the war-damaged enclave into something “unbelievable,” claiming the removal of unexploded bombs and rubble, coupled with economic redevelopment, would pave the way for its revitalization.
Grandi also said his agency, the UNHCR, was in the process of “renegotiating” US support after Washington announced a sweeping freeze of most US aid.
“All of this is very fluid at the moment, which is a problem, because we are an organisation that cannot wait too long,” Grandi said.
The US currently accounted for up to 40 percent of all contributions received by the UNHCR, he said.
