The US Trump administration is exploring the possibility of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Syria, American television CBS News reported on March 18.

According to sources, American authorities attempted to establish contact with the new Turkish-backed Syrian regime led by Ahmed al-Sharaa through a third party believed to be the border area Druze. However, officials in Damascus deny receiving such requests from Washington and comes hours before an Israeli airstrike killed more than 420 people in the exclave. 

Previously, it was reported that the US had discussed the possibility of relocating Palestinians to Somalia, Somaliland, and Sudan. The Syria option is now also being considered, as Israel has already occupied land beyond the Golan.

Meanwhile, Sky News Arabia reports that the Trump administration has preliminarily approved an Egyptian plan for post-war settlement in Gaza. The US is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the creation of a Palestinian "technocratic committee" to govern Gaza with the support of Arab and international structures.

Washington conditions its support for this plan on Hamas being removed from power and disarmed, consulting with Egypt on the possibility of excluding Hamas from the political and administrative life of Gaza.

President Trump previously stated the need to stop the violence and destruction in Gaza, offering for the US to take over the management and reconstruction of the region, turning it into a "Middle East Riviera." However, he said that no one would deport Palestinians.

Attempts to relocate Palestinians face difficulties. Somalia's ambassador to the US, Dahir Hassan, noted that no official requests from the US or Israel regarding the reception of Palestinians had been received.

He warned that spreading unverified information could enhance recruitment by extremist groups such as ISIS and Al-Shabaab, threatening regional security. The Sudanese government has not yet commented on these reports.

The current Syrian government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, known as Mohammed al-Jolani, has been in power for only three months following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Sudan, in turn, is engulfed in civil war and faces a serious refugee and famine crisis.