Israel orders its military to prepare plan for Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza
Israel Katz said that he had instructed the IDF to plan to allow Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza, after President Trump said the U.S. may seek to own it.
Israel's defense minister said Thursday that he had instructed his military to prepare a plan to allow Palestinians to voluntarily leave the Gaza Strip, after his country's leadership embraced President Donald Trump's widely condemned remarks in which he said the United States may seek ownership of the territory.
Welcoming what he called Trump's "bold initiative," Israel Katz said in a statement Thursday that Palestinians in Gaza "should be granted the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is customary everywhere in the world." He said the plan would include "exit options" for Palestinians to leave Gaza via land crossings, with the possibility of "special arrangements" for departures by sea and air.
Katz's comments came after Trump on Tuesday suggested to the press and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. should take a "long-term ownership position" of Gaza and "develop" the enclave, which he had earlier in the day referred to as a "demolition site."
Trump made contradictory comments on whether he foresaw Palestinians being able to live in the enclave, with White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday seeking to clarify his statements.
The president is "committed to rebuilding Gaza and to temporarily relocating" Palestinians during those reconstruction efforts, she said, adding that Trump has not committed to sending U.S. troops to Gaza as part of the effort.
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