When US President Donald Trump began speaking 10 days ago of Gaza as a demolition site, calling to “clean out that whole thing”, it wasn’t clear how far these were off-the-cuff remarks.

But in the lead up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, in his Oval Office comments before the meeting, and in the press conference itself, it’s now clear he is profoundly serious about his proposals.

They amount to the most radical upending in the established US position on Israel and the Palestinians in the recent history of the conflict; and will be seen as flying in the face of international law.

As well as how the announcement will be absorbed by ordinary people on the ground, it could also have a significant impact on the more immediate phased ceasefire and hostage release process, at a critical juncture.

Trump and his officials are framing his call to – in his language – permanently “resettle” all Palestinians out of Gaza as a humanitarian gesture, saying there is no alternative for them because Gaza is a “demolition site”.

Under international law, attempts to forcibly transfer populations are strictly prohibited, and Palestinians as well as Arab nations will see this as nothing short of a clear proposal aimed at their expulsion and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land.

• Live updates and reaction to Trump’s plan
• Trump proposes the US taking ownership of Gaza Strip

That’s why Arab leaders have already categorically rejected his ideas, made with increasing frequency over the last 10 days, when he suggested Egypt and Jordan could “take” Palestinians from Gaza.

In a statement on Saturday, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League said that such a move could “threaten the region’s stability, risk expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples”.

It has long been a desire of the ultranationalist far right in Israel to expel Palestinians from the occupied territories and expand Jewish settlements in their place.

Since the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, these groups – leaders of whom have been part of Netanyahu’s coalition – have demanded the war against Hamas continues indefinitely, vowing ultimately to re-establish Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.

They have continued their calls and opposed the current ceasefire and hostage release deal.

In his White House press conference with the Israeli prime minister, Trump went further even than his recent growing calls for the Palestinians in Gaza to be “relocated” to Egypt and Jordan, saying that the United States would then take the territory over and rebuild it.

When asked whether Palestinians would be allowed back, he said “the world’s people” would live there, saying it would be an “international, unbelievable place”, before adding “also Palestinians”.

His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff earlier in the day summed up much of the tone around the proposal, saying of Trump “this guy knows real estate”.

Trump said it would be the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Asked whether American troops would be involved in the take over of Gaza, Mr Trump said “we’ll do what is necessary”.

His proposals amount to the most radical transformation in the US position on the territory since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the war of 1967, which saw the start of Israel’s military occupation of land including the Gaza Strip.

Gaza was already home to Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes in the wars surrounding Israel’s creation.

They and their descendants make up the vast majority of Gaza’s population to this day.

Trump’s proposals, if enacted, would involve that population, now more than two million people, being forced elsewhere in the Arab world or even beyond, says Trump, to “resettle… permanently”.

The proposals would wipe out the possibility of a future two-state solution in any conventional sense and will be categorically rejected by Palestinians and the Arab world as an expulsion plan.

Much of Netanyahu’s political base and the ultranationalist settler movement in Israel will champion President Trump’s words, seeing them as the fulfilment of a means as Netanyahu puts it to stop “Gaza being a threat to Israel”.

For ordinary Palestinians, it would amount to a mass act of collective punishment.

Follow the twists and turns of Trump’s second presidential term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher’s weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader Aga Khan has died at the age of 88, his charity the Aga Khan Development Network has announced.

Prince Karim Aga Khan was the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims, who say they are direct decedents of the Prophet Muhammad.

He “passed away peacefully” in Lisbon, Portugal, surrounded by his family, his charity said in a statement on social media.

Born in Switzerland, he had British citizenship and lived in a chateau in France.

King Charles is understood to be deeply saddened by the death of the philanthropist, who was a friend of both himself and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and is in touch with the family privately .

The Aga Khan’s charities ran hundreds of hospitals, educational and cultural projects, largely in the developing world.

He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, with a private island in the Bahamas, a super-yacht and a private jet.

The Aga Khan Development Network said it offered its “condolences to the family of His Highness and to the Ismaili community worldwide”.

“We continue to work with our partners to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities across the world, as he wished, irrespective of their religious affiliations or origins,” it added.

His successor, which will be one of his male descendants, will be named soon, the Aga Khan Development Network said.

The Ismailis are a Shia Muslim sect who revere a number of Imams, including Imam Ismail, who died in 765 AD.

They have a worldwide population of about 15 million, including 500,000 in Pakistan. There are also large populations in India, Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

Prince Karim Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather as imam of the Ismaili Muslims in 1957 at the age of 20.

The prince had an estimated fortune of $1bn (£801m) in 2008, according to Forbes magazine. His inherited wealth was boosted by numerous business interests, including horse-breeding.

The prince was the founder of the Aga Khan Foundation charity and gave his name to bodies including a university in Karachi, and the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture was key to the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb site in Delhi. There is an annual Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

And he founded the Nation Media Group, which has become the largest independent media organisation in east and central Africa.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the prince describing him as a “man of vision, faith, and generosity” and a “remarkable leader”.

“Through his tireless efforts in poverty alleviation, healthcare, and gender equality, he championed the cause of the marginalized, leaving an indelible mark on countless lives,” he said.

Activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said: “His legacy will continue to live on through the incredible work he led for education, health and development around the world.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described him as a “symbol of peace, tolerance and compassion in our troubled world”.

Beyond his global impact, much of his legacy will surround his horse breeding.

He became a leading owner and breeder of racehorses in the UK, France and Ireland, breeding Shergar, once the most famous and most valuable racehorse in the world.

Shergar won the Derby at Epsom in 1981 by 10 lengths in the Aga Khan’s emerald green racing silks with red epaulets but was kidnapped in Ireland two years later and never found.

Despite losing his beloved horse, he told the BBC in 2011 – on the 30th anniversary of Shergar’s biggest triumph – that he did not contemplate deserting his Irish breeding operation.

Of Shergar’s triumph, he said: “It’s a memory that can never, never go away.

“If you’re in racing, the Epsom Derby is one of the greats. It always has been, so to win a race of that quality in itself is an extraordinary privilege. To win it the way he won it was more than that.”

The Aga Khan went on to win the big race another four times with Shahrastani (1986), Kahyasi (1988), Sinndar (2000) and Harzand (2016).

More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN.

Masses of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city.

Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says.

The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison.

The BBC has not been able to verify the reports.

Goma, a major city of more than a million people, was captured after the Rwanda-backed M23 executed a rapid advance through eastern DR Congo.

The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes.

Footage from last week’s jailbreak showed people fleeing from the building as smoke rose in the background. Heavy gunfire could also be heard.

In a separate video, people believed to be the escaped prisoners, filed through Goma’s streets.

More than 2,000 people were killed as the M23 clashed with the Congolese forces and their allies, DR Congo’s government has said.

The UN says at least 900 people were killed and almost 3,000 injured. It was unclear why the UN and DR Congo’s death tolls vary.

Earlier this week, the rebels announced a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, however there have been reports of renewed fighting on Wednesday.

• WATCH: Escaped prisoners on the streets of Goma
• What’s the fighting in DR Congo all about?
• DR Congo’s failed gamble on Romanian mercenaries

Ismail Moradi, 16, would normally be carrying his textbooks into school.

But on Wednesday he was clutching a bunch of red flowers to lay in tribute to those murdered in Sweden’s worst ever mass shooting.

“I was shocked and didn’t know if I wanted to come to school today after what happened so nearby” he explains to us.

Ismail’s own elementary school is next to the adult learning centre that was targeted yesterday.

Although police still have not given a motive for the attack, Ismail – who is Kurdish – says he fears there was a clear racial element to the shooting.

“In this school, it’s only newcomers to Sweden. There’s not so many Swedish people. So, I think it was targeted for one special group of people.”

All day, there’s been a steady procession of locals lighting candles and gazing across to the school site which remains sealed off.

Vacant faces in the icy wind reflect the sense of shock that has gripped many Swedes in the past 24 hours.

• ‘There was blood everywhere’ – witnesses shocked after Sweden school shooting
• What do we know about the Sweden school shooter?

A hush descended on the scene when Sweden’s King arrived to leave his own flowers. The solemnity echoing the national mood as flags fly at half-mast.

The collective grief is complicated by the lack of any explanation for the assault. The police, now in the midst of huge investigation haven’t given away anything to that end.

Trying to build a profile of a “clean skin” – someone not previously known to the police or security service – makes any probe all the more difficult.

But the scale of the loss of life means the public and politicians want answers from the police now.

More than 100 specialist officers are involved, on a local, regional and national level.

Unconfirmed reports in the Swedish media say the gunman was a 35-year-old local man who legally owned a gun.

Reham Attala, 21, is a law student also thinks it was no coincidence this college – popular with immigrants – was chosen, rather than others which were reported to be near the suspect’s home.

“I’m so sad and scared” she tells us at the site of the shooting. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

Reham explains that her dad is Syrian and her mum is Palestinian but for her Sweden is home. She’s has lived in Orebro for the past 11 years.

She is alarmed that the gunmen attacked a school where Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) courses are known to be taught.

“Those people lost yesterday were studying Swedish and this make me think about my future and am I even going to live here, should I have children here? All these questions.”

People should be free to learn and live in peace on campus without fear of this happening, she sighs.

The Philippines’ parliament has voted to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte following complaints about alleged corruption.

Duterte has been accused of misusing millions of dollars in public funds and threatening to have President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr assassinated.

She has denied the charges and alleged she is the victim of a political vendetta.

The shock move is widely seen as an escalation of the bitter feud between Duterte and Marcos which has kept the nation on edge for months.

Both are scions of Philippine political dynasties: she is the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, while he is the son of the late strongman leader Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

A total of 215 out of 306 members of the House of Representatives voted for impeachment, well above the one-third threshold needed for the bill to pass.

The bill will now be heard by the 24-member Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court.

If found guilty, Duterte faces removal from her post and would be the first vice-president in Philippine history to be impeached.

She is expected to stay in office until the Senate delivers its judgement. A trial date has not been set yet.

Duterte is widely perceived as a potential successor to Marcos, who is ineligible to run again in 2028 as the constitution limits presidents to a single six-year term.

An impeachment would effectively bar her from the presidency, as she would be permanently banned from holding public office.

The move comes ahead of the mid-term elections in May, which will be seen as a referendum for Marcos halfway into his term as well a barometer of public support for Duterte.

Duterte has not commented on the impeachment vote. But her elder brother who represents their hometown of Davao in parliament, Paolo Duterte, said the administration was “treading on dangerous ground” with what he described as a “clear act of political persecution”.

Marcos has also not commented on Duterte’s impeachment. In November, he had said it would be a “waste of time” for lawmakers to impeach her when it has more important work to do.

Since the end of Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in 1986, only one sitting president has been impeached – Joseph Estrada in 2000, for alleged corruption.

But his trial ended without a judgement after a popular revolt forced him from power in January 2001.

Only one impeachment trial made it to a verdict, that of former Supreme Court chief justice Renato Corona, who was convicted of corruption in 2012.

Both the Estrada and Corona impeachment trials were highly politicised and divisive affairs and dragged on for months.

Duterte and Marcos had presented a picture of unity when they ran for the 2022 elections, calling themselves the “UniTeam”.

But cracks began to appear even before they assumed office, when Duterte asked to handle the defence portfolio in Marcos’ cabinet but instead was made education minister.

Their alliance unravelled further soon after they took power, as they pursued their separate political agendas while differing on crucial fronts such as diplomacy.

Their differences on the Philippines’ relationship to the US and China became more pronounced, as encounters between Philippine and Chinese ships in disputed waters became more frequent.

Marcos has pivoted the Philippines back to the US, reversing the pro-China stance of Duterte’s father.

He has also promised a less violent approach against illegal drug rings, dialling back the elder Duterte’s “war on drugs” that left over 6,000 suspects killed, according to a government count.

The lower house of parliament, where Marcos’s allies hold power, then started scrutinising Duterte’s budget requests, particularly her confidential funds which are not covered by state audits.

In July last year, she resigned from the cabinet.

The feud took a dramatic turn a few months later when, in a late-night livestreamed press conference, Duterte said she “talked to a person” to “go kill” Marcos if she were assassinated.

She later said that she was not plotting to assassinate the President and Marcos had dismissed the threat as a “storm in a teacup”.

A US deportation flight carrying about 100 Indian nationals accused of entering the country illegally has landed in the state of Punjab.

The military aircraft, which left Texas late on Tuesday, is now in the city of Amritsar where authorities say they have put measures in place to process the deportees.

President Donald Trump has made the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals a key policy. The US is said to have identified about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered illegally.

Trump has said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him that the country would “do what’s right” in accepting US deportations.

Authorities in Punjab say they have set up special counters to receive the deportees, adding the individuals would be treated in a “friendly” manner.

Journalists have gathered outside police barricades near an Indian Air Force building in Amritsar.

There are 104 Indian deportees on the flight and they will be processed separately from regular passengers before boarding buses to their home states, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Trump is increasingly using US military planes to return individuals to their home countries.

However, deportation flights to India are not new. In the US fiscal year 2024, which ended in September, more than 1,000 Indian nationals had been repatriated by charter and commercial flights.

In October, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported more than 100 Indian nationals who lacked legal grounds to stay in the US on a chartered flight, part of a rising trend in removals to India.

That flight carrying adult men and women was also routed to Punjab, close to many deportees’ places of origin. No precise breakdown of hometowns was provided.

Much of the migration from India to US appears to originate from the Sikh-dominated state of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana, which has traditionally seen people migrating overseas. The other source of origin is Gujarat, Modi’s home state.

“That has been part of a steady increase in removals from the US of Indian nationals over the past few years, which corresponds with a general increase in encounters that we have seen with Indian nationals in the last few years as well,” Royce Bernstein Murray, assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security told a media briefing in October.

Encounters refer to instances where non-citizens are stopped by US authorities while attempting to cross the country’s borders with Mexico or Canada.

A total of 5,477 Indians have been deported from the US by ICE between 2018 and 2023, according to official figures. More than 2,300 were deported in 2020, the highest in recent years.

The number of undocumented Indian immigrants in the US is disputed.

New data from Pew Research Center estimates 725,000 people as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador.

In contrast, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) puts the figure at 375,000, ranking India fifth among origin countries. Unauthorised immigrants make up 3% of the US population and 22% of the foreign-born population.

In November, 1.44 million non-citizens in the US remain on ICE’s “non-detained docket with final orders of removal”, according to an ICE document, accessed by Fox News.

The highest numbers come from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, each with over 200,000 individuals awaiting deportation.

China has 37,908 cases, while India has 17,940 on the list.

The ICE document says the US government expects foreign nations to accept their citizens but faces resistance.

ICE currently classifies 15 countries as “uncooperative”, including China, India, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Eleven others, such as Iraq, Nicaragua and Vietnam, are considered at risk of non-compliance.

“Factors that could lead to a country being classified as uncooperative include hindering ICE’s removal efforts by refusing to conduct consular interviews when necessary; refusing to accept charter removal missions; having an unacceptable ratio of releases when compared to removals and/or unacceptable average time from executable final order of removal to removal; and/or denying or delaying issuance of travel documents, such as passports,” the document says.

India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said recently that India was “firmly opposed to illegal migration, especially as it is linked to other forms of organised crime”.

“As part of India-US migration and mobility cooperation, both sides are engaged in a process to deter illegal migration, while also creating more avenues for legal migration from India to the US. We are keen to continue this cooperation.

“At the same time, the government of India would need to do the required verification, including nationality of the concerned individuals before they are deported to India.”

Last year, under former US President Joe Biden, 271,000 migrants were deported to 192 countries.