Israeli Ministers Push Plans to Expel Gaza Residents

Senior Israeli cabinet members have publicly advocated for the large-scale expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, detailing timelines and potential government mechanisms to clear the territory. The statements come as Israeli strikes persist across Gaza and destruction of homes and infrastructure continues in the occupied West Bank.

Removal Proposals and Diplomatic Response

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated at a conference that clearing Palestinians from Gaza was “the only solution” and indicated Israel was prepared to execute the move by air, sea, or any available route. Katz also asserted that US President Donald Trump had only paused, rather than abandoned, his support for displacing Gaza’s population.

Separately, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir presented a seven-year initiative titled “Disengagement 710,” designed to oversee what he termed the voluntary emigration of Gaza’s approximately two million residents. Ben-Gvir stated that if re-elected, he intended to create a dedicated Migration Ministry to administer the removal of Palestinians.

Responding to the statements, the US Department of State announced that it does not support any initiatives involving the forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of Gaza’s population. However, the department did not directly criticize Katz or Ben-Gvir by name.

Rising Casualties and Infrastructure Collapse in Gaza

Military strikes across Gaza have resulted in ongoing civilian casualties. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 73,658 Palestinians have been killed and 174,622 wounded since October 2023, including over 1,340 deaths recorded after an October 2025 ceasefire agreement. Recent military actions included an Israeli special forces operation near Gaza City’s American hospital that killed four Palestinians—including two children and a woman—and resulted in the capture of Moin al-Arabeed, whom Israeli officials identified as Hamas’s head of internal security.

Additional strikes reported across the territory killed multiple civilians, including a child in the Jabalia refugee camp, an individual in a Khan Younis tent camp, two people near Beit Lahia, a man in Gaza City’s Remal neighborhood, and a man and his young daughter in a vehicle near Gaza City’s Hamid intersection. An artillery shell striking a Deir el-Balah school sheltering displaced families killed five people, including three-year-old Saadi Ghalia.

In northern Gaza, families held mass funerals after emergency crews recovered 100 bodies—including 60 children—from under the debris in Gaza City’s Zeitoun district. Gaza civil defence chief Raed al-Dahshan noted that an estimated 8,000 additional bodies remain beneath rubble and could take years to clear without heavy machinery, while between 10,000 and 14,000 people remain missing.

Essential services across the Gaza Strip face severe operational failures. The World Health Organization reported that water contamination levels have nearly tripled since January. The Palestinian Water Authority confirmed that all five of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants have ceased operation, resulting in the daily discharge of roughly 55,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage.

Demolitions and Violent Clashes in the West Bank

Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank resulted in extensive property destruction and fatalities over the past week. In the Masafer Yatta community of Khirbet al-Tabban, authorities demolished all 12 homes, leaving 70 residents—including 30 children—without shelter. Council head Nidal Younis described the action as “wiping the village off the face of the earth” while confirming residents plan to rebuild.

In Beit Ummar near Hebron, Israeli forces demolished four water wells and several greenhouses, causing an estimated $60,000 in economic losses. Bulldozers also destroyed trees along key transit routes near Jenin under military clearance orders, demolished a home in Nahalin, and carried out multiple structure demolitions across East Jerusalem neighborhoods including al-Bustan, Beit Hanina, and Jabal al-Mukaber.

Fatal violence broke out in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir following accusations by Israeli settlers that local residents had stolen livestock. Armed settlers and military personnel entered the village, where snipers took positions on rooftops. During the confrontation, 16-year-old Khalil Abu Alia and 19-year-old Mohammad Nassan were shot dead. The Israeli military stated that troops responded to a violent riot while securing livestock retrieval, whereas eyewitnesses reported that Nassan was shot in the back.

Background

The Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank have experienced heightened violence and severe humanitarian distress since October 2023. International legal bodies and the United Nations consistently hold that forced transfer or expulsion of an occupied population violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. Proposals by Israeli political figures regarding population transfers in Gaza have drawn widespread concern from international governments and human rights organizations.