The destruction caused by Israeli air and ground offensive is seen from a destroyed building in Gaza Strip, on Wednesday. ABDEL KAREEM HANA/AP

UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON — It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law and "avoid any form of ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday.

At its essence, the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land, Guterres told a UN committee meeting.

"We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach. We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people," he said at the 2025 session of the Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

Guterres' speech came one day after US President Donald Trump proposed that Palestinians could resettle elsewhere and the United States would take over and gain a "long-term ownership position" in the war-torn enclave.

However, the UN chief didn't mention Trump or his proposal during his address.

Trump floated his plan during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, suggesting that the US could take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, which has sparked widespread defiance and condemnation.

On Thursday, Trump said in a Truth Social post that the Gaza Strip would be turned over to the US by Israel at the conclusion of the fighting.

At a Wednesday noon briefing, when asked if Guterres believes Trump's plan amounts to ethnic cleansing, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, responded, "Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing."

Trump's proposal appears to run counter to US public opinion, which polls have shown is overwhelmingly opposed to new entanglements in conflict zones following lengthy military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. His Gaza proposal drew broad condemnation from Democratic lawmakers but confusion and skepticism from some fellow Republicans, while others praised the moves as bold.

"I thought we voted for America first," Republican Senator Rand Paul said on X. "We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers' blood."

Scale back proposal

After Trump's proposal to take over Gaza sparked uproar, his administration appeared to backtrack on Wednesday.

Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House said there was no commitment to sending US troops.

Rubio said the idea "was not meant as hostile", describing it as a "generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding."

After Trump's plan, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that he had ordered the army to formulate a plan to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza.

"I have instructed the (army) to prepare a plan that would allow any Gaza resident who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to accept them," he said. "The plan will include exit options through land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air."

Katz said, "Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others," which Katz alleged have "falsely" accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, "are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory." He did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza.

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday rejected the suggestion by Katz.

"Gazans' land is Gaza and Gaza must be part of the future Palestinian state," Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.

Egyptian officials, speaking on Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said Cairo has made clear to the Trump administration and Israel that it will resist any such proposal, and that the peace deal with Israel — which has stood for nearly half a century — is at risk.