US officials have defended President Donald Trump’s suggestion that more Palestinians in Gaza relocate to neighbouring countries but insisted he was trying to look at the problem realistically and not imposing a solution, Reuters reports.

The senior officials sought to soften what was widely seen as Trump’s call for mass displacement of Gazans from the enclave, which Arab states and Palestinian leaders have vehemently rejected.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the US wants to work with its Arab partners and Israel to come up with creative solutions to the challenge.

The officials stopped short of explicitly reiterating Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to take in more Gazans but also did not retract his suggestion.