Israeli defence minister orders army to prepare for mass exodus from Gaza
Israel Katz has ordered the Israeli military to ready a plan by which any resident of Gaza who wants to can emigrate to any place that agrees to absorb them, according to a statement from the defence minister’s office.
Katz’s office quoted the minister as praising Trump’s “courageous plan, which could enable a wide swath of the population in Gaza to leave to various places around the world”.
Potential destinations Katz mentioned were Spain, Ireland and Norway – countries he accused of levelling “false accusations” against Israel regarding its war on Gaza. He argued that if they refuse to accept Palestinians, “their hypocrisy will be exposed”.
Katz also accused Hamas of “preventing” people from leaving Gaza and using them as human shields.
“Gaza’s residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere around the world,” Katz said.
Now it's Hamas preventing people from leaving Gaza? That while MSF is begging Israel to be allowed to evacuate patients in dire need of healthcare. Israel preventing aid workers from leaving, not allowing family nor students to leave etc. Most people do not want to leave, be displaced again into another refugee camp, yet even those that do have places to go outside Gaza are kept locked in by Israel.
Israel’s far-right leaders praise Katz’s order to prepare plan for exodus from Gaza: Report
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quoted by The Times of Israel newspaper as saying “there is no other realistic solution that will ensure peace and security for Israel and personal wellbeing for the residents of Gaza.
“I congratulate the defence minister on his decision to instruct the [army] to prepare to fulfil our role in the migration plan to allow the departure of Gazans from Gaza to receiving countries,” he said.
According to the newspaper, ex-Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party – also known as the Jewish Power Party – said Katz’s preparations for “the voluntary departure of Gaza residents” are an “important step, which recognises that the real solution for Gaza is no longer dreams of ‘reconstruction’ and a return to the previous situation, but a fundamental change in reality”.
He called on the government “to move forward with determination, remove every bureaucratic obstacle, and ensure that this option becomes a reality as soon as possible”, the report said.
Israel ‘on the way to a new era in Gaza’: Settlement minister
Israeli Settlement Minister Orit Strook has told Israel’s Army Radio that the previous US administration “tied our hands with an arms embargo and severely harmed our soldiers”.
She also said Israel’s now former army chief Herzi Halevi and then-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “undermined cabinet decisions and forced us to transfer humanitarian aid directly to Hamas”.
“We are on the way to a new era in Gaza with an absolutely great fighting capacity,” Strook concluded.
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