Israel’s defence minister says he has instructed the army to prepare plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s proposal for the war-ravaged territory.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that the plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air”.
He said he welcomed Mr Trump’s “bold plan, which could allow a large population in Gaza to leave for various places in the world”.
Mr Gatz did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza, which has been rendered largely uninhabitable by Israel’s 15-month military campaign against Hamas.
Mr Trump had proposed on Wednesday that most of Gaza’s population be “permanently” resettled elsewhere while the United States rebuilds the territory.
US officials later said the relocation would only be temporary, but Palestinians fear Israel would never allow them to return, deepening and perpetuating a refugee crisis dating back to the establishment of the state.
Mr Trump’s plan was roundly rejected by the Palestinians and much of the international community.
Rights groups said it would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law.
Marco Rubio, on his first foreign trip as secretary of state, described Mr Trump’s proposal as a “very generous” offer to help with debris removal and reconstruction of the enclave following 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” Mr Rubio said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing in Washington that Gaza is “a demolition site” and referenced footage of the devastation.
“The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza,” she said, calling it currently “an uninhabitable place for human beings” and saying it would be “evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions”.
Their comments contradicted Mr Trump, who earlier in the week had said: “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.”
He added that he envisioned “long-term” US ownership of a redevelopment of the territory, which sits along the Mediterranean Sea.
In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military is “prepared to look at all options” for rebuilding Gaza.
“We look forward to working with our allies, our counterparts, both diplomatically and militarily, to look at all options,” Mr Hegseth said.
Mr Netanyahu also reiterated his praise for Trump: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”