Local Palestinians say Trump’s depopulation plan for Gaza a barrier to peace [Video]

Since coming to London, Ont., 15 months ago to flee the war in Gaza, Haneen AbdAlnabi has watched the news wracked with worry about her father and siblings she left behind. 

The ceasefire reached last month with Israel gave her hope that Palestinians can now start to think about how to rebuild and return to Gaza, which was left largely destroyed by Israeli air strikes following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Then Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants his country to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop the territory, with Palestinians who call it home to be displaced elsewhere. 

AbdAlnabi said the president’s words are a new barrier to reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict.

“I was afraid when he said that,” said AbdAlnabi, who has lived in London since the outbreak of the war and has relatives in Gaza. “I told my mom ‘That means that he …