Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion

Doral, Florida — President Trump's push to have Egypt and Jordan take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees from besieged Gaza fell flat with those countries' governments and left a key congressional ally in Washington perplexed on Sunday.

Fighting that broke out in the territory after ruling Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 is paused due to a fragile ceasefire, but most of Gaza's population has been left homeless by the Israeli military campaign. Mr. Trump told reporters Saturday aboard Air Force One that moving some 1.5 million people away from Gaza might mean that "we just clean out that whole thing."

Mr. Trump relayed what he told Jordan's King Abdullah when the two held a call earlier Saturday: "I said to him, 'I'd love for you to take on more because I'm looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it's a mess.'"