Jerusalem (AFP) - Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday put forward a plan to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian residents and deport them abroad.
Published on: 03/09/2026 - 17:07 Last updated: 03/09/2026 - 19:39
This comes the day after Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israel has ready plans to remove the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, but is waiting for the United States to determine the place to which they can be transferred.
Since the outbreak of war following the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, there has been repeatedly talk about the residents of the besieged and destroyed Palestinian Strip leaving their lands.
The forced displacement of civilians in occupied territories is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
US President Donald Trump caused a stir when he called for about two million Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip and turn it into a resort similar to the “Riviera of the Middle East.” This proposal was met with opposition and criticism, which prompted Trump to withdraw it publicly.
Ben Gvir, whose hard-line stances often receive Western criticism, set a goal of removing 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza within one year, and then leaving the rest of them - an estimated two million people - within the following six years.
Ben Gvir, one of the most prominent faces of Benjamin Netanyahu's government coalition, said that what he is proposing is "a realistic matter," noting that several countries are "ready" to receive the residents of Gaza, without specifying them.
He added, "We must encourage the migration of Gazans," considering that the plan does not mean "forcing" Palestinians to leave their land.
These proposals bring back to the minds of Palestinians the events of the Nakba of 1948, when they were displaced en masse during the establishment of Israel.
Ben Gvir said that his right-wing populist party, “Jewish Power,” will demand, when the next government is formed, the establishment of “a ministry responsible for immigration affairs.”
He pointed out that his plan is "the product of a year and a half of work, and it is a concrete plan."
In a 20-page document entitled “National Action Plan for Voluntary Migration from the Gaza Strip,” a copy of which was obtained by Agence France-Presse, Ben Gvir says that his plan offers a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- “No solution” without immigration -
Although members of the right-wing ruling coalition made several statements about removing Palestinians from Gaza, it is not clear to what extent these statements will turn into practical measures.
Katz said during a conference hosted by the Ynet website and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Wednesday, “There is ultimately no real solution to Gaza without this migration.”
He added that the Israeli government "is organized and prepared to expel them, by sea, air, and by every possible means."
These positions come weeks before the legislative elections in Israel, which are expected to witness close competition, and will be the first since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Katz has been calling for such a measure for months, which he promotes as a “voluntary migration” of Gaza residents.
In February, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proposed expanding immigration to include Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
At the beginning of his second presidential term, Trump caused shock when he called for all Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip. He talked about developing the coastal sector and turning it into a luxury tourist destination.
Trump's idea witnessed strong opposition that prompted him to back down, especially after the opposition of Egypt, which is the only country that shares borders with the Gaza Strip, in addition to Israel.
Then, following the ceasefire agreement in October, the US President presented a 20-point plan regarding Gaza that included no forced displacement.
The war resulted in massive destruction in the besieged Palestinian Strip, the displacement of most of its residents at least once, in addition to a severe humanitarian crisis.
During the Hamas attack, 1,221 people were killed, according to official Israeli figures.
On the other hand, the Israeli campaign resulted in the deaths of 73,470 people in Gaza, including more than 1,330 people since the ceasefire was announced in October, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip.
© 2026 AFP
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