Hundreds of thousands of civilians returned to the northern Gaza Strip this week after checkpoints were reopened in line with the ceasefire agreement. Many will have found their homes destroyed after months of heavy fighting and bombardment – something the new US president, Donald Trump, has pointed out.

The leader of important U.S. ally Egypt on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt take in displaced Palestinians from Gaza, defying a U.S. president who has shown little patience for dissent from international partners.

Civil rights groups and legal scholars said the new measure would violate constitutional free speech rights and would likely draw legal challenges.

The president signed an executive order that targets those who took part in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses last year.