Albanian PM denies Israeli TV report claiming he’s talking with US about housing Gazans

The prime minister of Albania forcefully denies a report by Israel’s Channel 12 news claiming that his government has been in talks with the Trump administration about taking in as many as 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza.

“I haven’t heard something so fake in quite some time—and there’s been a lot of fake news lately! It is absolutely not true,” Edi Rama tweets, along with a screenshot of the Channel 12 reporter’s purported scoop.

“Full respect and solidarity for the people of Gaza, who have been dehumanized by the savage Hamas regime and have endured a hellish war following the medieval horrors of October 7,” Rama adds.

“But let me be clear: Albania has not been asked by anyone, nor can we even consider to take on any such responsibility.”

“We are proud of our strong friendships with Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and, of course, the Palestinian people, whose state Albania recognized a very long time ago,” the Albanian premier continues.

“But Albania is not in the Middle East itself, and from the heart of Europe, we cannot do more than any other European country in such a matter.”

“Yet, we wish and pray that the Palestinian people are given the chance to live in their own state, as free people under democratic rule, and that Hamas will never again be able to harm Israel—or, first and foremost, the Palestinians themselves,” he adds.

Channel 12 claimed that Israel believes US President Donald Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinian refugees is unrealistic and that Washington is accordingly looking to other suitors, such as Albania.

NBC News reported earlier this month that the US also is considering Indonesia as a landing spot for Palestinians while the Gaza Strip is being rebuilt.

Egypt and Jordan have strongly come out against the idea of hosting Gazans, which Israeli far-right leaders have responded to by calling for Jerusalem to “encourage emigration” of Palestinians from the Strip.