Inspired by US President Donald Trump’s vision of persecuting the Palestinians, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to prepare a plan to allow Gazans to “voluntarily” leave the Strip, Katz’s office says.
Katz is said to have welcomed Trump’s “bold plan, which could allow a large portion of the population in Gaza to go to various places around the world.”
“Hamas used the people of Gaza as human shields and built a terrorist infrastructure in the heart of the population, and now it is holding them hostage, extorting money from them through humanitarian aid and preventing them from leaving Gaza,” Katz said.
He says he ordered the army to prepare a plan according to which any resident who wants to can emigrate to any place that will accept them.
Katz specifically mentions potential destinations such as Spain, Ireland, Norway and other countries that have made “false accusations” regarding Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, arguing that if these nations refuse to accept Palestinians, “their hypocrisy will be exposed.”
He also mentions Canada, which has an “organized immigration program” and “has previously expressed a willingness to accept Gazans.”
The plan would provide for exit via land crossings, as well as “special arrangements” for departure via sea and air routes.
“Gaza residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere in the world,” Katz argues, adding that Trump’s plan could advance “plans for rebuilding a demilitarized Gaza that poses no threat in the post-Hamas era, which will last for many years.”
