Israel’s defence minister has told its military to prepare a plan to “allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to leave to do so”, in line with President Donald Trump’s proposal for the US to take over the territory and resettle the 2.1 million Palestinians there.
Israel Katz said Gazans should have “freedom of movement and migration” and countries critical of Israel’s war with Hamas were “obligated” to take them in.
The US secretary of state meanwhile insisted the resettlement would be temporary during Gaza’s reconstruction, though Trump had said it would be permanent.
Palestinian leaders and Arab states have rejected the plan and said that forced displacement would violate international law.
The UN secretary general has also warned that it is “essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing” and stressed that Gaza would be an integral part of a future Palestinian state.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 47,550 people have been killed and 111,600 injured in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of Gaza’s population has also been displaced multiple times and almost 70% of its buildings are estimated to be destroyed or damaged.
Healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.
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