U.S. President Donald Trump has decided not to withhold aid from Jordan after King Abdullah II agreed to accept 2,000 critically ill children from Gaza. This decision came after their meeting at the White House.

During the meeting, Trump also shared his vision for the U.S. role in Gaza’s future. However, King Abdullah II did not directly respond to the proposal. Instead, he mentioned that discussions about Gaza’s future would happen at an upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia, depending on Egypt’s proposal. Trump referred to the Jordanian leader's stance on taking sick youngsters as a "beautiful" gesture during the meeting.

“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. I think we’re above that,” Trump told reporters. The youngsters, many of whom had cancer or were in serious condition, would be sent to Jordan "as quickly as possible," Abdullah promised at the beginning of the conference. 

Trump's controversial idea of turning Gaza into a US-owned "Riviera" has faced strong criticism across West Asia, with many worried about its impact on regional stability. Despite their concerns, Arab leaders, including Abdullah, have had to interact with the US President. Jordan was expected to present a united Arab opposition to Trump’s plan, which critics compare to forced displacement. Both Jordan and Egypt have already rejected ideas to move Gaza’s Palestinian population elsewhere.

Trump had earlier called the conflict-ridden area a “demolition site.” Prior to Abdullah's visit, Trump had increased pressure on Jordan and Egypt, threatening to cut off aid if they did not take in Palestinian refugees.  “Yeah, maybe, sure why not? If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes,” he told reporters.  

Later on, though, he changed his mind and stated that he had no plans to invest directly in Gaza. “No,” he said, “you could just do more good for people when you’re President.” Jordan and Egypt are important allies of the United States and among the top recipients of American aid. Jordan, in particular, depends heavily on this support, as US assistance makes up 3% of its total economy. Regional stability remains a concern as Arab nations fear the spread of unrest. The conflict in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Syria’s ongoing crisis, and security issues in Jordan and Egypt add to the uncertainty. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is rethinking its position on normalising ties with Israel. Trump's actions have increased the level of uncertainty, especially while Hamas postpones the next round of Israeli hostage releases. He has threatened that if the remaining hostages are not released by Saturday, "all bets are off, and let hell break out."   

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that if Hamas does not meet the deadline, the ceasefire will end, and military operations will start again. However, it is still unclear whether he was talking about all hostages or only those set to be released next. In an interview with Fox News, Trump repeated his stance that Palestinians who leave Gaza should not return. He suggested that they could relocate to Jordan or Egypt. He described this as a step toward Middle East peace and proposed building hotels and infrastructure in Gaza. During his White House speech, Trump was joined by key officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. 

Trump said that many Palestinians would voluntarily leave Gaza if given the chance, calling it a "death trap." “They would love to get out of Gaza, but until now, they’ve never had an alternative. Now they have an alternative,” he said.  The ceasefire is still in place, but its future is uncertain. Hamas is delaying the release of hostages, and Israel has warned that it will resume military action if the agreed conditions are not met.