US, Israel are in talks with these African countries about resettling Gazans

A day after US President Donald Trump downplayed his initiative for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, reports have emerged that the US and Israel were in talks with three East African nations to discuss resettling the Palestinians to their countries. 

This comes as Trump himself walked back on his initial statement about resettling Gazans, stating that "no one is expelling anyone from Gaza."

The US and Israel have reached out to officials of Sudan, Somalia, and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland to discuss the proposal for resettling the Palestinians, Associated Press quoted American and Israeli officials.

While Sudanese officials reportedly rejected overtures from the US, the officials from Somalia and Somaliland tell The Associated Press that they were not aware of any contacts. Trump had initially stated that as per his plan, the Gazans could be resettled to a "different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

However, it is unclear how these countries would qualify as all three places are poor and wracked by violence.

Immediately after taking over as President, Trump said: "I think that it’s a big mistake to allow people – the Palestinians, or the people living in Gaza – to go back yet another time, and we don’t want Hamas going back. And think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it, and we’ll slowly – very slowly, we’re in no rush – develop it."

However, he backtracked on his statement, which was welcomed by Hamas. "If US President Trump’s statements represent a retreat from any idea of ​​displacing the people of the Gaza Strip, they are welcomed," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in the statement, as per Reuters. "We call for this position to be reinforced by obligating the Israeli occupation to implement all the terms of the ceasefire agreements," he added.