Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday backed a proposal by President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from Gaza and turn the war-ravaged coastal enclave into a luxury waterfront development—a plan that has drawn international condemnation and could further complicate fragile cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas.

Before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on February 4, Trump suggested permanently displacing Palestinians from Gaza, saying people there had no alternative but to leave the enclave devastated by U.S. ally Israel's military assault that has caused a dire humanitarian situation and killed tens of thousands.