The US State Department fired its press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs after he reportedly internally raised multiple objections regarding how to project the Trump administration’s policy on the Gaza Strip.

Shahed Ghoreishi was fired on Monday, just days after he drafted a statement for the department stating that the US does not support “forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,” according to The Washington Post.

The Post did not specify what the statement was supposed to be in reference to, but it came against the backdrop of Israel’s plan to order the evacuation of roughly 1 million Palestinians ahead of its planned take over of Gaza City and amid reports that it is in talks with several countries including South Sudan about relocating refugees from the Strip.

Ghoreishi told the Post that the language he used in the drafted statement was consistent with remarks made in recent months by US President Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who sought to clarify that Washington is not seeking to forcibly expel Gazans after Trump unveiled a plan in February to take over the Strip and permanently relocate all of its residents.

But State Department leadership vetoed the line recommended by Ghoreishi, according to a memo last week obtained by the Post.

It was not the only time Ghoreishi — who also served in the State Department during the Biden administration — clashed with others in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau.

#BREAKING: The US State Department fired its top Israel-Palestine press officer, Shahed Ghoreishi, after he spoke out for Gaza journalists and against forcing Palestinians from their homes. pic.twitter.com/MwDtbRnHrr

— Veritas Daily (@VeritasDaily) August 20, 2025

When an Israeli airstrike killed Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif along with five other journalists in a Gaza City tent earlier this month, Ghoreishi recommended that the State Department issue a statement that included a line “mourn[ing] the loss of journalists and express[ing] condolences to........

© The Times of Israel