King Abdullah pledges to aid 2,000 sick Gazan children amid Trump’s pressure on Jordan and Egypt

King Abdullah II of Jordan promised to take in 2,000 sick children from Gaza on Tuesday just before meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, a move the U.S. president called a “beautiful gesture.”

Abdullah’s pledge comes a day after Trump suggested he might withhold aid to Amman and Cairo if they don’t take in Palestinians from Gaza ahead of the US plan to take over the strip.

Abdullah said Jordan’s will focus on children with cancer or who are sick. 

“I think the president is very happy that we do this thing with 2,000 children as quickly as possible,” Abdullah said. “I believe that the president is looking forward to getting a group of us Arabs here to discuss the overall plan.”

When asked by reporters about Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal, King Abdullah said the question regional leaders are dealing with is how to make it work in a way “that is best for everybody”.

During an executive order signing the day before in the Oval Office, Trump was asked if he would withhold aid from Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take in the Palestinians.

“Yeah, maybe. Sure, why not?” Trump responded. “If they don’t agree, I would conceivably withhold aid.” Trump responded.

Trump softened his stance on Tuesday during the meeting with Abdullah saying, “I do think we’re above that.” 

“We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that,” he added.

In 2022, the U.S. and Jordan signed a memorandum in which the U.S. committed to providing over $1 billion annually in foreign assistance. Additionally, the U.S. provided close to $1.5 billion in foreign assistance to Egypt in 2023, making both countries among the top receivers of U.S. foreign aid. 

Trump expressed confidence in the meeting that the U.S. plan to control Gaza will “work out” but Abdullah added, “Let’s wait until the Egyptians present their own ideas.” 

After the meeting at the White House, Abdullah posted on X that he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.” 

“This is the unified Arab position,” he writes on X. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”

However, Trump says he’s “99% sure” something can be worked out with Egypt, who has been assigned the task of leading the Arab world’s response to Trump’s Gaza proposal deal.

“We’re going to run it very properly,” noting that hotels and other buildings could be built there.

“You’re going to eventually have peace in the Middle East,” Trump says, adding that Gaza has been a “death trap” for the Palestinian people.

According to official Egyptian sources, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will travel to the US capital on February 18th to discuss a range of issues between the two countries, with the focus on Trump's Gaza proposal. 

Trump also suggested on Monday he would end the ceasefire Saturday if the U.S.-designated terrorist organization, Hamas, did not release every remaining hostage it has in Gaza.