Israeli minister unveils plan to expel almost all Palestinians from Gaza

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has presented a plan to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Under his proposal, 250,000 people would leave the territory in the first year alone, with nearly all of the remaining Palestinian population departing over the following six years, according to AFP.

Ben-Gvir's plan envisions a total of 1.9 million people leaving Gaza within seven years — effectively the entire current Palestinian population of the territory, estimated at around two million. The minister claimed that some countries are willing to take in the relocated Palestinians, though he did not name them.

The Israeli government's stance

Israeli officials prefer to describe the initiative as "migration" rather than expulsion. On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also addressed the plan, saying its implementation would require the agreement of the United States. According to him, it is Washington that should negotiate with other countries over accepting Palestinians.

Katz said that Palestinians leaving Gaza would be a realistic solution for a territory devastated by three years of Israeli military operations. The campaign began after Hamas and its allies launched a massive attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

Israeli officials claim that Palestinians themselves want to leave Gaza after three years of fighting. However, AFP notes it remains unclear what evidence underpins this claim.

Election connections

If the plan goes ahead, most of it would unfold after Israel's parliamentary elections in October. Ben-Gvir is running in the vote with his Jewish Power party, courting radical-leaning voters — a constituency several other small parties are also competing for.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz