Israeli Defense Ministry to establish directorate for ‘voluntary’ displacement of Palestinians from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made a decision on Monday evening to establish a special directorate in his ministry to facilitate travel for Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from Katz’s office cited in the Israeli press.

According to Katz’s office, the directorate’s establishment came during a discussion held by Katz on the “voluntary departure of Gaza residents.”

The decision was framed as in line with United States President Donald Trump’s stated plans.

Trump has reiterated over recent weeks his insistence on plans to forcibly displace nearly all Palestinians living in Gaza and resettle them in Egypt and Jordan, to allow for a US-led redevelopment of the coastal enclave and create “the Riviera of the Middle East.” 

An initial plan for facilitating Palestinians’ exit from Gaza — reportedly prepared by the Israeli military’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) at the request of Katz — will include what was called “extensive assistance” for any Gaza resident “who wishes to voluntarily emigrate” to a third country, according to the office statement.

The assistance, according to the Israeli ministry, would allow Palestinians in Gaza to receive an envelope including special exit arrangements by sea, air and land, among other facilitations that were unspecified by the Israeli outlet.

The new Israeli Defense Ministry directorate is expected to include representatives from other ministries and defense establishment bodies.

Officials in Israel have expressed on multiple occasions their support for Trump’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the strip returned in January to their homes in the north for the first time after 15 months of war that saw over 80 percent of the strip’s residents displaced by bombing and around 48,290 civilians killed.

Their return marked the first time many have been able to search for missing family members and lost belongings since the war began.

Since Trump first floated the idea, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have released multiple public statements in which they categorically rejected any proposals for the forced displacement of Palestinians from their lands.

Egypt and Qatar have also made efforts over the past weeks to maintain the ceasefire agreement they mediated with the US between Israel and Hamas, after the latter accused Israel of violating terms of the agreement.

Under the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19, the delivery of large quantities of aid into the enclave and equipment to remove rubble was intended to take place.

The numbers of tents and caravans for Palestinians whose houses were destroyed by Israeli bombardment and demolitions were also agreed upon in the ceasefire talks.

Israel has blocked the delivery of materials for temporary housing, according to officials in the strip’s Government Media Office.

Following Hamas’s February 12 visit to Cairo, during which a Hamas source told Mada Masr that Cairo had committed to applying pressure to ensure aid was delivered, the Israeli Army Radio reported that an agreement was reached to allow the “immediate entry” of caravans and heavy engineering equipment into the Gaza Strip.

Schemes to displace Palestinians from Gaza to Arab countries other than Egypt and Jordan, repeatedly mentioned by the US president, have been echoed by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who suggested establishing a Palestinian homeland in Saudi territory.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that the extraordinary Arab League summit on the situation in Gaza will be held in Cairo on March 4, adding that the date was set after coordination with Bahrain, the current head of the Arab League, as well as the other Arab countries.

Delayed from its initial date of February 27, the summit is set to witness discussions on reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, with reports from the past weeks on Egypt preparing a proposal for the situation of Palestinians in Gaza that would not include their forced displacement.