Israeli army to prepare plan allowing Gazans to voluntarily leave Gaza

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

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to prepare a plan allowing Gazans to leave the enclave voluntarily, he announced on Thursday.

The initiative would establish options for departure through land crossings, as well as via air and sea, Katz said. His announcement follows US President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Tuesday that the Strip’s residents relocate to third countries while Gaza is rebuilt.

Katz accused Hamas of using Gazans as human shields, diverting humanitarian aid for its own purposes, and preventing residents from leaving the Strip. He argued that Gazans should have the same right to emigrate as people anywhere in the world.

“Countries like Spain, Ireland, and Norway, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, have a legal duty to allow Gazans to enter their territory,” Katz said, adding that refusal to do so would expose their “hypocrisy.”

He also pointed to Canada as a potential destination, citing its structured immigration program and past willingness to accept Gazan refugees.

The Defense Minister stated that Hamas continues to exploit civilians and restrict their movement. “Hamas used Gaza residents as human shields, built terror infrastructure in the heart of the population, and is now extorting them by using humanitarian aid while preventing them from leaving,” he said.

Details of Trump’s suggestion have not been worked out, but any Gazan who wishes to emigrate would be able to do so, provided another country agrees to take them in. Katz believes such a move could pave the way for Gaza’s long-term rehabilitation once Hamas is no longer in control.

“Gaza’s residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere in the world,” Katz stressed. He added that Trump’s plan could help support a future demilitarized Gaza, though such a transition would take years.

“It does appear that President Trump is committed to the idea. He has the ability, if he wants to, to twist Jordan’s arm, to twist Egypt’s arm. Jordan is so dependent economically on the US and free trade with the US – which is more beneficial to Jordan than the US – that if President Trump really wants to make this happen, the US has the power to make it happen,” Asher Fredman, executive director of the Misgav Institute in Jerusalem told TPS-IL.

Fredman said that despite the public Palestinian rhetoric, many Gazans do want to leave Gaza. 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.

The reported noted, “Among those [of all ages] who have considered emigrating, 30% say they would do so even if they did not have the required papers.”

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.

The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel.

The exact number will depend on how many are alive. So far, 18 hostages — 13 Israelis and five Thais — have been released.

The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations during the ceasefire’s second phase. Critics say the phased approach condemns hostages not freed in the beginning to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.

At least 1,200 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 79 remaining hostages, 35 have been declared dead.