Israel is ready to move Palestinians from Gaza as soon as the U.S. approves, the country’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said. He told a conference hosted by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday that there was “no real solution” for Gaza without migration.
Citing unspecified surveys that Israel had carried out, Katz claimed 80 per cent of Gazans wanted to leave. He added that the reluctance of other countries to accept Palestinians was an obstacle to the plan.
“Hamas isn’t allowing them [to leave], and there are no countries in the world taking them in. President Trump put the issue on the agenda. Now every country needs to take people in - and that’s the big issue,” he said.
Katz added that the Israeli government was prepared to facilitate the emigration of Gazans “by every way possible.”
A State Department Spokesperson told AnewZ that the U.S. doesn't support any plan for the forced displacement, expulsion or mandatory transfer of Gaza's population.
“The United States policy regarding Gaza is clearly set forth in the President's 20-Point Peace Plan. As explicitly stated in Point 12 of the President's plan: 'No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza,'” a Spokesperson said.
“Any movement must be strictly voluntary, and our focus remains on the demilitarization, stabilization, and redevelopment of Gaza for the benefit of its residents,” the Spokesperson added.
Furthermore, Point 20 commits the United States to establishing a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.
U.S. President Donald Trump floated relocating Gaza’s 2.3 million residents in February 2025 and spoke about developing the territory into a luxury resort.
The same month, Trump shared an artificial intelligence (AI) generated video depicting the Gaza strip as a resort. The video featured himself and Netanyahu sunbathing on a beach in front of a sign reading ‘Trump Gaza.’
Israel has launched a taskforce focused on facilitating what it describes as “voluntary emigration.”
However, Trump has since appeared to abandon the relocation plan due to international opposition. His October 2025 Gaza peace plan talked of encouraging Gazans to stay and build a better future.
Egypt and Jordan, which were touted as resettlement destinations, rejected the idea of relocating Palestinians to their territory. Saudi Arabia, a U.S.-ally, said its position on the establishment of a Palestinian state run by Palestinians was "non-negotiable and not subject to compromise."
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said the forcible transfer or deportation of people was "strictly prohibited," under international law.
Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced the majority of the territory’s population, following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack in which 1,200 people were killed.
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