Israeli reserve soldiers from the Alexandroni Brigade who took part in an operation to recover the body of slain hostage Ran Gvili from the Gaza Strip are seen near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, southern Israel, January 27, 2026. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that approximately 80% of Gazans want to leave but are being prevented from emigrating by Hamas.
By World Israel News Staff
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz pledged that the IDF will resume the war in Gaza until it achieves a decisive victory over Hamas, while reiterating his support for the voluntary emigration of Gazan civilians who wish to leave the war-torn enclave and settle abroad.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, Katz said Israel is biding its time before resuming intensive military operations targeting the Hamas terror group.
“The IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan,” Katz said.
Katz was responding to criticism from right-wing political rival Ofer Winter of the People of Israel party, who accused the current government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of failing to achieve its objectives in the Gaza Strip during the war that began following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacres.
Speaking earlier in September at a conference organized by Hebrew-language outlet Yediot Ahronot, Katz claimed that approximately 80% of Gazans want to leave the Strip but are being prevented from doing so by Hamas.
He said Israel would be willing to facilitate their departure by air and sea, but that Jerusalem is waiting for the green light from Washington before implementing such a plan.
Katz has emphasized that the proposal would involve “voluntary emigration,” stressing that Jerusalem is not seeking to relocate Gazans against their will.
Earlier in September, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee rejected the notion that Israel was planning to forcibly relocate Gazans, while saying that civilians who wish to leave should be able to exercise that right.
“Nobody is suggesting there would be forced displacement — the Israelis are not, the Americans are not. I know of no one who supports that,” he said.
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