Israel orders army to plan to let Palestinians leave Gaza

by Jay Deshmukh with Danny Kemp in Washington

Israel's defense minister ordered the army on Thursday to start making preparations to allow for "voluntary" departures from the Gaza Strip, after U.S. President Donald Trump floated a proposal to move Palestinians out of the territory.

The idea sparked uproar from leaders in the Middle East and around the world, and on Wednesday, the Trump administration appeared to walk back some of the suggestions.

Hours later, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to formulate a plan for voluntary departures of Palestinians from Gaza, which has been ravaged by more than a year of war.

"I have instructed the IDF (military) to prepare a plan to enable voluntary departure for Gaza residents," Katz said, adding that they could go "to any country willing to accept them".

"The plan will include exit options through land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air," he added, branding Trump's plan as "bold".

Trump announced his proposal to audible gasps on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit him at the White House since his inauguration.

Reacting to the proposal, the United Nations warned that any forced displacement of Palestinians would be "tantamount to ethnic cleansing".

Trump, however, insisted that "everybody loves" the plan, which he said would involve the United States taking over the Gaza Strip, though he offered few details on how more than two million Palestinians would be removed.

"The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," he said.

His administration later appeared to backtrack, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying any transfer of Gazans would be temporary, while the White House said there was no commitment to sending US troops.

- 'Greatest friend' -

Netanyahu, meanwhile, hailed Trump as Israel's "greatest friend" and, speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, called the proposal "remarkable" and "the first good idea that I've heard".

"I think it should be really pursued, examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone."

He also suggested it did not mean Palestinians leaving the territory forever.

"They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza."

Katz on Thursday said Trump's plan "could create broad opportunities for Gaza residents who wish to leave, help them integrate optimally in host countries, and also facilitate the advancement of reconstruction programs for a demilitarized, threat-free Gaza".

Much of the Gaza Strip has been leveled by the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country's history, but Palestinians residing in the coastal territory have vowed not to leave.

For them, any attempt to push them out of Gaza recalls the "Nakba", or "catastrophe" -- the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation in 1948.

"They can do whatever they want, but we will remain steadfast in our homeland," said 41-year-old Gaza resident Ahmed Halasa.

Israelis in Jerusalem largely welcomed Trump's proposal, though some doubted it could be carried out.

"I really like what he said, but in my wildest dreams... it's hard for me to believe it will happen, but who knows," said 65-year-old Refael.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wanted Palestinians to only be "temporarily relocated" out of Gaza.

"It's not a livable place for any human being," she said.

Trump, who also suggested he might visit Gaza, appeared to imply it would not be rebuilt for Palestinians.

- 'Serious violation' -

Even before Tuesday's announcements, Trump had suggested residents of Gaza should move to Egypt and Jordan, both of which have flatly rejected any resettlement of Palestinians on their territory.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas rejected the proposal, calling it a "serious violation" of international law and insisting that "legitimate Palestinian rights are not negotiable".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a committee that deals with the rights of Palestinians that "the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is about the right of Palestinians to simply live as human beings in their own land".

Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric, previewing the UN chief's speech, told reporters: "Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing."

Hamas, which took sole control of Gaza in 2007, rejected the proposal, branding it "racist" and "aggressive".

Israel's military offensive in response to Hamas's attack has left much of Gaza in ruins, including schools, hospitals and most civil infrastructure.

Human Rights Watch said the destruction of Gaza "reflects a calculated Israeli policy to make parts of the strip unlivable".

Trump's proposed plan "would move the US from being complicit in war crimes to direct perpetration of atrocities", said Lama Fakih, an HRW regional director.

© Agence France-Presse