Politics Israeli army to prepare "voluntary departure" from Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the army to prepare a plan for the "voluntary departure" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The move follows a proposal by US President Donald Trump to resettle two million Palestinians from the coastal strip.
06.02.2025, 10:11
SDA
The US President had announced in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would "take over" the Gaza Strip and turn it into an economically prosperous "Riviera of the Middle East". According to Trump's plan, the inhabitants of the area are to be accommodated in other Arab states in the region in future.
The plan met with international criticism. The US government later qualified Trump's plans. "This was not intended as a hostile move," said Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. He spoke of a "very generous offer" from the president. The USA was only interested in making the coastal area habitable again. However, the Palestinians would not be able to live there during this time.
Israel's defense minister speaks of "freedom of migration"
Minister Katz welcomed Trump's "bold plan". "The residents of Gaza must be allowed to enjoy the same freedom of exit and migration as anywhere else in the world," said Katz. "The plan will include the ability to leave via land passages as well as special arrangements for leaving by sea and air."
He accused the Islamist Hamas of extorting money from the people in Gaza by looting humanitarian aid and preventing their departure.
The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. As a result of the fighting, the Gaza Strip has been largely destroyed. Right-wing extremist politicians in Israel are seeking to resettle the area, which Israel evacuated in 2005. However, this is not official government policy.
