Half of Gazans want to emigrate, will seek Israel’s help

Polling shows 49% of Gazans wish to emigrate and are willing to seek Israel’s assistance, and 48% approve of the anti-Hamas protests.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

According to a survey conducted this month, almost half of all Gazans are willing to emigrate, and nearly the same number approved of the anti-Hamas protests.

The survey, carried out by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, interviewed Palestinians in Judea and Samaria and Gaza between May 1 and May 4, six weeks after the IDF resumed its operations in Gaza following the collapse of the ceasefire.

The polling shows that 49% of Gazans wish to emigrate and are willing to apply to Israel for assistance, while 50% responded that they would be unwilling to do so.

Israel has prepared to facilitate mass migrations from the Gaza Strip, but the main challenge is finding countries willing to absorb the Gazan refugees.

According to the survey, 48% of Gazan civilians supported the anti-Hamas protests — a much higher number than in Judea and Samaria, where only 14% agreed with demonstrations against Hamas.

However, 54% believe the protests were organized outside of Gaza and had foreign influence, whereas just 20% say they expressed the will of Gazans.

In April, anti-Hamas protests erupted in Gaza despite threats of arrests and death.

Crowds of Palestinians marched in Beit Lahia, which is in northern Gaza, on Wednesday, chanting “Hamas out, out!” and “We don’t want a Qatari tent—we want to live in freedom.”

Other chants included, “Yes to love, no to terrorism, yes to peace,” and “Deliver the message… all of Hamas is garbage.”

One protest leader explained, “We want to live in peace—we don’t want more wars.” Based on videos of the protests, it appears hundreds may have been in attendance.

Israel has completed preparations for the migration of civilians from Gaza; what remains is finding countries willing to take them in.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has established a mechanism to assist 2,500 civilians daily in leaving Gaza.

The current population of Gaza is approximately two million.

The Ashdod Port is equipped to transport Gazans to other locations by sea, while Ramon Airport is ready to assist with air transportation.

The aerial route through Ramon Airport has already been used to transport 1,500 injured Gaza residents to other countries.

Another route for civilians to leave Gaza is through the Rafah crossing.

It is estimated that 35,000 Gazans have already crossed through Rafah into Egypt since the start of the war. From there, many civilians seek residence in other countries.