Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, has strongly opposed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to permanently relocate the people of Gaza to other places. In response, he emphasized that world leaders should respect the desire of the Palestinian people to remain in Gaza.

According to a report from Arab News on Wednesday (February 5), Mansour stated, “Our homeland is ours. Even if a part of it is destroyed, like Gaza, and the Palestinian people have decided to return there, I believe leaders and the global community should respect the will of the Palestinian people.”

During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump expressed his belief that Palestinians should leave Gaza, a region that has witnessed widespread destruction due to Israeli military actions.

In a controversial statement at a press conference, Trump mentioned that the U.S. intends to occupy Gaza and relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries, where reconstruction would be carried out. He added that it would later be opened for the global community.

Although Mansour did not directly name Trump, he clearly rejected the proposal. He said, “Our country, our home, the Gaza Strip, is part of Palestine, and we have no other home. Those who want to resettle us elsewhere should allow us to return to our original homes inside Israel. There are beautiful places there, and we would gladly return to them.”

On October 7, 2023, Hamas’ attack on Israel resulted in 1,210 deaths. In response, Israeli attacks have killed at least 47,518 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The United Nations considers these figures credible.

Israeli military actions have left more than 90% of Gaza’s population—around 1.9 million—homeless. Airstrikes have destroyed civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement on January 19, bodies continue to be recovered from the rubble daily. After the ceasefire declaration, many Palestinians have attempted to return to their homes, though many have found their homes destroyed.

Mansour further stated, “Within just a few hours, 400,000 Palestinians walked back to the northern part of Gaza.”

He emphasized, “We should respect the will of the Palestinian people. In the end, they will decide their own fate.”