Israel claims it’s promoting Palestinian emigration from Gaza. So why are so few leaving?
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-claims-its-promoting-palestinian-emigration-from-gaza-so-why-are-so-few-leaving/
At a February press conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump outlined a proposal to relocate Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents to third-party countries.
In response, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced the creation of a new governmental body — a “Voluntary Emigration Directorate” — tasked with facilitating the exit of hundreds of thousands of Gazans. A retired IDF colonel, Yaakov Blitshtein, was appointed to head the directorate in late March.
“Emigration from Gaza will begin within weeks,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a February 15 interview with Channel 12.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel stated on April 7 at a conference organized by Yedioth Ahronoth: “More than 16 flights have departed from Ramon Airport carrying Gazans who requested to leave the Strip — and this is only going to increase.”
In recent months, Israeli media have widely reported on flights evacuating Gazans from the Strip, presenting this as part of Trump’s plan. However, Israel has not officially disclosed how many Gazans have left at any time during the war.
When The Times of Israel contacted the Population and Immigration Authority — a body facilitating Gazan departures — officials referred the inquiry to the Defense Ministry, which declined to respond.
The Times of Israel likewise found no meaningful change in Israel’s exit policy for Gaza residents in recent months.
Despite reports of increased movement through the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to a source familiar with the issue who talked to The Times of Israel, and public announcements by foreign countries and humanitarian organizations, only about 600 people have left the Gaza Strip in the past two months, since the collapse of the most recent ceasefire.
This is a relatively small number compared to the exodus earlier in the conflict.
For comparison, according to Egyptian media reports, around 103,000 people exited Gaza through the Rafah crossing between November 2023 and May 2024. Additionally, during the second ceasefire between February 1 and March 17 of this year, 4,259 Gazans — including patients, wounded individuals, and their family members — were evacuated from the Strip for medical treatment abroad.
Leaving Gaza requires international intervention
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the body under the Defense Ministry responsible for coordinating the movement of Gaza residents, has maintained that the only criteria for exiting Gaza — both before and throughout the war — are severe illness or injury, or foreign citizenship. In all cases, residents cannot apply directly to COGAT; an international organization must submit the request on their behalf.
It is notable that many countries accepting patients from Gaza during the war, including the UAE and various European states, have clarified that these are temporary stays for medical treatment and that the individuals are expected to return afterward.
The WHO publishes an online chart that is updated every few weeks to show the number of individuals evacuated from Gaza. According to the data, from the collapse of the ceasefire on March 18 until May 6, a total of 310 people — patients and companions — were evacuated.
Israeli statements contradict reality
The Israeli organization Gisha reported that it had recently received inquiries from 150 Gaza residents who had been accepted to study abroad but were still unable to leave the Strip. COGAT has stated that acceptance to academic programs overseas does not meet the criteria for exit.
Shai Greenberg, spokesperson for Gisha, told The Times of Israel: “Since the beginning of the war, thousands of people have been trapped in the Gaza Strip — including foreign nationals, patients in need of life-saving medical treatment unavailable in Gaza, students accepted into graduate programs abroad, and individuals eligible for family reunification in various countries.
“This is part of a systematic violation of fundamental rights — including freedom of movement and the right to family life for both those trapped and their relatives in Gaza and abroad — as well as the rights to health, bodily integrity, education, and livelihood,” Greenberg stated.
Ahmad, who left Gaza in February after 15 months of effort, told The Times of Israel he knows many foreign nationals who remain stuck in the Strip.
“I know a lot of people with foreign citizenship or permanent residency abroad who are still trapped in Gaza — some of them are close friends. Only one of them managed to leave, about 20 days ago,” he said.
