Israel establishes directorate to help Gaza residents emigrate

The directorate includes securing safe passage for individuals seeking to move to third countries, establishing designated crossings for pedestrians and coordinating logistics for passage by land, sea and air.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israel appointed a point man to facilitate Palestinian emigration from Gaza, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

Col. (res.) Yaakov (Koby) Blitstein, currently the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Defense, was tapped to head the newly established Directorate for Voluntary Transition of Gaza Residents.

“We are determined to realize the vision of US President Donald Trump to allow voluntary departure for Gaza residents who wish to do so to various places in the world. Our tests show that at least 40% of Gaza residents are interested in emigrating to other places,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Katz said Blitstein would provide “organizational momentum” to the project and enhance the ongoing political discussions with target countries, in collaboration with the American administration and a team led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The newly formed Directorate will operate under the Ministry of Defense and will be tasked with coordinating efforts to facilitate the voluntary departure of Gaza residents.

This includes securing safe passage for individuals seeking to move to third countries, establishing designated crossings for pedestrians, and coordinating logistics for passage by land, sea, and air.

The Directorate will work closely with international organizations and government ministries.

On Thursday, the Rand Foundation, a U.S.-based research institute, released a report estimating that the Israel-Hamas war has displaced 90% of Gaza’s 2.2 million people and damaged or destroyed 70 percent of its housing.

“Gaza’s recovery will take decades, with costs greater than $50 billion. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans will need interim shelter for a decade or longer while homes are being rebuilt,” the report said.

Asher Fredman told The Press Service of Israel in February that voluntarily relocating Palestinians to third countries while the US rebuilds the Strip could be done, but it would require the right circumstances.

“Gazans won’t be able to leave in large numbers if Hamas gunmen are stopping people from leaving,” said Fredman, who is the executive director of the Misgav Institute in Jerusalem. “A military campaign would first have to weaken Hamas enough to keep it from barring Palestinians from emigrating.”

He cited a Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research survey published on June 26, 2024, which found that 44% of Gazans ages 18-29 would emigrate if given the chance.

A 2022 report, written by the Hamas-affiliated Council on International Relations and seen by TPS-IL, said 12% of the Strip’s population fled since 2007 when the terror group violently seized control of Gaza.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.