Defense Minister Israel Katz on the northern border last month (video clip)

Katz Tells IDF To Prepare To Help Relocate Gazans Who Want To Leave

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The Judean Staff
National

In a bold and highly contentious move, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to draft extensive plans for facilitating the mass departure of Palestinians from Gaza—an initiative that has ignited a firestorm of international debate. This dramatic escalation comes just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump proposed an unprecedented U.S. takeover of the enclave, suggesting a radical resettlement of its residents in other countries.

Katz, unwavering in his stance, declared that the military would explore “all available options” for the evacuation, including land, sea, and air routes. His statement on social media was unequivocal: “The people of Gaza should have the right to freedom of movement and migration.” However, the undertone of his remarks left no doubt—this was not a two-way street. The intention was clear: Gazans would be leaving, and there would be no coming back.

A New Reality for Gaza’s Future?

For decades, Israel’s ironclad border controls have severely restricted movement in and out of the strip. But the outbreak of war last year brought these restrictions to an unprecedented level, sealing off Gaza from the world almost entirely. The situation worsened when Israeli troops took control of key areas near the Rafah crossing in May, making any form of Palestinian exit virtually impossible.

Now, in an explosive twist, Trump’s vision for the region has added a new layer of controversy. The former president’s fantastical proposal—transforming Gaza into a glittering “Riviera of the Middle East” after resettling its entire population—was met with global condemnation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stern warning: “It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.” However, many are praising the plan, including leaders who have come out publicly against it, understanding that this plan has the potential to dismantle the influence Hamas holds over the Gaza population.

International Backlash and Legal Ramifications

Trump’s proposal, which he reinforced in a provocative post on Truth Social, suggested that Israel would simply hand over Gaza to the United States at the conclusion of the war. According to his plan, displaced Palestinians would be relocated to “far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes,” in an unspecified part of the region. He assured that “no soldiers by the U.S. would be needed!”

The international response was swift. Legal experts were quick to highlight that any forced population transfer would constitute a crime against humanity, a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, to which both Israel and the U.S. are signatories. Human rights organizations decried the plan as a thinly veiled form of ethnic cleansing. What the criticism has failed to mention is that there will be no forced transfer, the relocation would be strictly voluntary, with Gaza residents having to express an interest in leaving rather than being rounded up and sent somewhere else as many would have the world believe.

Palestinians in Gaza reacted with fury and disbelief. For many, the trauma of past displacements remains raw—memories of the Nakba (“catastrophe”) of 1948, when 700,000 Palestinians were told to leave the area by their Arab leaders in advance of the war which was meant to destroy Israel following the creation of the Jewish State, have fueled an ironclad determination to resist any attempt at further dispossession.

The West Responds: A Resettlement Ultimatum?

Katz, seemingly emboldened by Trump’s rhetoric, has upped the ante by directly calling on nations like Spain, Norway, and Ireland to open their doors to Gaza’s refugees. His reasoning? These nations had formally recognized a Palestinian state last year, a decision that outraged Israel and led to the withdrawal of its ambassadors in protest. Now, Katz is challenging these governments to put their humanitarian commitments to the test—by absorbing Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza.

Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, wasted no time in rebuffing the demand. While affirming Spain’s willingness to provide urgent medical care for Palestinians in need, he made it crystal clear: “Gaza is the land of the people of Gaza. It should be part of a future Palestinian state.”

The Israeli Far Right Sees an Opportunity

While Trump’s grandiose vision of a U.S.-administered Gaza sparked international outrage, it was met with enthusiastic applause from Israel’s far-right factions. The ultranationalist bloc, long advocating for the permanent expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, hailed Trump as a visionary.

Limor Son Har-Melech, a right-wing legislator, effusively praised the former U.S. president for his “original and creative” approach. She drew direct parallels between Trump’s plan and the proposals of her own party leader, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose calls for Palestinian expulsion had been dismissed as “fascist, extremist, and delusional.”

In an interview with Israeli media, Son Har-Melech painted a striking picture of the future she envisions: “I see Jewish children playing in Gaza,” she declared. Her party, which had previously withdrawn from the coalition government over its opposition to the ceasefire deal, has now issued a condition for its return: “We will rejoin only when we see buses coming out of Gaza carrying its Palestinian residents.”

A Crossroads for the Middle East

As the situation continues to escalate, one thing is clear: Gaza stands at a precipice. The competing visions for its future—ranging from expulsion to international intervention—could reshape the region in ways previously unthinkable.

With global leaders, human rights organizations, and legal scholars raising alarms about the potential for crimes against humanity, Israel’s latest maneuver, backed by Trump’s radical proposition, sets the stage for a geopolitical showdown that could have far-reaching consequences for the Middle East and beyond.

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