Palestinian President Abbas Rejects Relocation of Gaza Residents and Calls for Humanitarian Corridors
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. President Joe Biden that moving Gaza residents from their homeland is not acceptable and that urgent humanitarian corridors are needed to deliver medicine, water, and fuel to the territory. The conversation was reported by TASS on behalf of official sources familiar with the call.
During a telephone discussion, Abbas emphasized the pressing requirement to establish humanitarian corridors into the Gaza Strip to ensure supplies of medicine and water reach residents, while also addressing electricity and fuel needs in the enclave. The Palestinian president reiterated his stance that relocating the population is not a viable or acceptable option.
Earlier, Mahmoud al-Habbash, one of Abbas’s advisers, indicated that the United States remained focused on this issue and had not responded to calls to influence Israel to halt the Gaza offensive.
On 7 October, Hamas launched thousands of rockets toward Israel and announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Militants breached Israeli territory, seized several pieces of military equipment, and took more than a hundred hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently declared that the country was at war.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched a broad operation named Iron Swords with the stated aim of targeting Hamas leadership and infrastructure. The campaign involved extensive airstrikes on targets tied to Hamas within the Gaza Strip, while Israel’s National Security Council ordered the suspension of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel supplies to the enclave as part of a broader security strategy. The United Nations later reported that up to 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza might need evacuation to southern areas within a 24-hour window ahead of potential ground operations. These developments followed Netanyahu’s description of Israel’s actions as an unprecedented, massive broadside against Hamas.
Throughout these unfolding events, officials and observers stressed the humanitarian implications for civilians and the importance of safeguarding essential aid flows. The dialogue between Abbas and Biden, and the broader regional responses, underscored the international focus on minimizing civilian harm while addressing security imperatives. Reports on these dynamics are provided by multiple outlets and attributed to official briefings and on-the-record statements from involved parties.