Egypt says describing displacement of Palestinians as voluntary is 'nonsense'

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose country is a key mediator in efforts to end the Gaza war, said on Saturday that describing the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary was “nonsense.”Israel earlier called on Gaza City residents to leave for the south, as its forces advance deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area.“If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose country is a key mediator in efforts to end the Gaza war, said on Saturday that describing the displacement of Palestinians as voluntary was “nonsense.”

Israel earlier called on Gaza City residents to leave for the south, as its forces advance deeper into the enclave’s largest urban area.

“If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say that this is voluntary displacement,” Abdelatty said in a joint press conference with the commissioner-general of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the idea that Palestinians in Gaza should be allowed to voluntarily leave and suggested that other countries should accept them.

Netanyahu’s office said on Friday that he had spoken about the basic human right of every individual to choose where they live, particularly during times of war.