Calling for Hamas to step down as Gaza's leadership is absolutely necessary, Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, said on X/Twitter Friday.
Gargash's statement was an endorsement of demands made by the Arab League's Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who also called for the terrorist organization to step down.
"The interests of the Palestinian people must come before the interests of the movement, especially in light of the calls to displace Palestinians from Gaza," Gargash added. "The resulting war that destroyed the Strip and tore apart its human and social fabric is a result of their decisions."
Gargash had previously called for the United States to push for a quick end to the Israel-Hamas war nearly a month after the October 7 attacks. He also called for the US to push for a new process to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or "Washington will be seen as ineffective."
He also claimed that Israel's response to Hamas's October 7 massacre has been "disproportionate."
Continuing question of new leadership in Gaza
Earlier in February, US President Donald Trump announced plans for the United States to take over Gaza. While most Israelis responded positively to the proposal, many international figures have responded with shock and outrage.
Trump made the groundbreaking announcement during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, DC. In his plan, he proposed that Egypt and Jordan take in and resettle Gaza's population. Both countries have since declined to take in Gazan refugees.
In a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, the US leader said that Palestinians will "live safely in another location that is not Gaza," he said, adding that the US is going to run the Strip "very properly."
Saudi Arabia has begun spearheading efforts to counter Trump's plan for the Palestinian enclave as a "Middle East Riviera." Their plans will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month, which will include Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE.
The UAE was one of the countries that normalized relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords, which was negotiated by the Trump administration in 2020.
Reuters and Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.