RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: The International Organization for Migration will not be part of “any kind of forced” evacuation of Palestinians out of Gaza, the director of the UN agency, Amy Pope, told AFP on Tuesday.
Any such displacement would be a “red line” for governments in the region, said Pope, after US President Donald Trump proposed taking over the war-battered Gaza Strip and removing its more than two million Palestinian inhabitants.
“We made a commitment to the communities that we serve that we wouldn’t be involved in any kind of forced movement of population or evacuation of people,” said Pope, who is American.
Trump’s proposal to rebuild Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while its residents are displaced prompted widespread criticism when it was first presented in early February.
“As we’re seeing right now, (the displacement of Palestinians) has been a red line for both the government of Jordan and Egypt,” Pope said of the two countries Trump has said could take in Gazans.
“We’re a humanitarian actor,” she added.
“So we... certainly don’t engage in activities that would be red lines for key member states.”
Faced with strong opposition in the Middle East and beyond, Trump said in an interview on Friday he was “not forcing” his plan.
Pope, in a visit to Gaza last week, said she saw that “things are just very much destroyed.”
“You... see buildings that have been completely destroyed, you see rubble” and burnt cars, she told AFP.
“I saw people on the side of the road in the shadow of crumbled buildings, around fires, trying to stay warm.”
Gaza’s civil defense agency said earlier on Tuesday that six newborn babies died in a cold snap which has gripped the territory over the past week.
More than 15 months of war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, have left much of Gaza in ruins and most of its population displaced.
UN estimates put the cost of reconstruction at more than $53 billion.
A fragile ceasefire in effect since January 19 has allowed an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza, though Hamas has accused Israel of blocking the entry of some essential supplies.
UN agency chief says ‘wouldn’t be involved in any’ Gaza displacement
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UN agency chief says ‘wouldn’t be involved in any’ Gaza displacement
- More than 15 months of war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, have left much of Gaza in ruins and most of its population displaced
US announces ‘large-scale’ strikes against Daesh in Syria
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday in response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead, the US military said.
“The strikes today targeted Daesh throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly Daesh attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria” on December 13, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump following the ambush and is aimed at “root(ing) out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent(ing) future attacks, and protect(ing) American and partner forces in the region.”
The statement continued: “If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” adding that US and coalition forces remain “resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
The statement did not note whether anyone was killed in the strikes. The Pentagon declined to comment on more details and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, while Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Daesh, reaching an agreement late last year when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House.
* With Agencies
