Trump has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of Jordan and Egypt opening their borders to allow for the mass evacuation of Palestinians out of Gaza over concerns that the area is uninhabitable.

Although the president had been talking about the idea for weeks, there had been no meetings on the subject, and senior members of his government were taken by surprise.

Palestinians, their allies and other nations reacted strongly to President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and permanently resettle its residents. Trump’s suggestion came at a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,