Russian Foreign Ministry: Trump's Statement Takes Over Gaza Triggers Middle East Tensions

JAKARTA - Russia's Foreign Ministry said US President Donald Trump's remarks about the re-residential settlement of Palestinians from Gaza and the determination of US ownership of the Gaza Strip were surprising. Trump's remarks would escalate tensions in the Middle East.

Trump said Israel would hand Gaza over to the United States after the fighting was over and the residents of the region had been reimposed elsewhere, which he said meant US troops were not needed on the ground.

Earlier this week, Trump said he wanted to reunicate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan, destroying the remaining buildings to pave the way for the Riviera-style development project and placing occupied territory under US "ownership".

"The main thing right now is to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to all in need," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"We believe that the main task at this time is to ensure the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas," he continued.

"Any populist, reckless, or surprising argument regarding other palliative actions at this stage is counterproductive and does not contribute to problem solving, but only triggers tensions in the region and all the problems that are already very severe," Zakharova said of Trump's statement.