Two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Katz, have floated proposals for the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza through "voluntary emigration" as Israel prepares for an election on October 27. Ben-Gvir proposed a seven-year plan to remove Gaza's population, suggesting Turkey, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo as potential destinations. The idea has been met with resistance from Palestinians, who fear a new "Nakba", or disaster, and from Arab states, which have rejected similar proposals in the past. The Israeli government has denied intentions to forcibly transfer Gaza's population, despite previous US-led efforts to end the conflict there having stalled.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Israeli officials have proposed removing Palestinians from Gaza, with some suggesting it would be a "voluntary emigration." However, Palestinians fear this could lead to forced expulsion.
In recent weeks, two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Katz, have floated proposals for the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza Strip. Ben-Gvir's plan, dubbed "Disengagement 710," would allegedly remove Palestinians over a period of seven years, while Katz has stated that Israel is waiting for US approval to facilitate the emigration.
The US, however, has rejected these proposals, stating its commitment to President Donald Trump's peace plan, which emphasizes that no one will be forced to leave Gaza. The State Department reiterated that Palestinians who wish to leave will be free to do so and return.
These calls for removal have sparked concerns among Palestinians of a new "Nakba" (displacement), echoing the 1948 war that led to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes. Palestinians in Gaza have largely rejected the idea, fearing it would result in forced expulsion, which would be considered a war crime under international law.
Written for “Gaza Palestinian Removal Plans” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Two Israeli ministers floated proposals this week for the mass removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, resurfacing an idea voiced repeatedly by right-wing politicians over the past three years as they seek to rally supporters ahead of an election.
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they → float → election
The calls by two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies have revived Palestinian fears that Israel ultimately aims to forcibly expel them from Gaza despite US-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict there.
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Israel → revive → conflict
Far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir laid out a seven-year plan for removing Gaza’s population through “voluntary emigration” during a press conference on Thursday night.
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Gvir → lay → night
He said he would seek the creation of a “ministry in charge of emigration” in the next government.
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he → say → government
Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party said in a statement on Thursday that Turkey, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo were being considered as potential destinations.
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Turkey → say → destinations
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s government media office, said, “The Palestinian people are deeply rooted in their land and will not be intimidated by such threats.”
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people → say → threats
Israel is due to hold a general election on October 27.
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Israel → hold → October
It will be the first since an Israeli military campaign starting October 7, 2023 laid waste to Gaza, which has a population of more than two million.
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which → start → million
An October 2025, US-backed, ceasefire halted large-scale fighting, but it has not ended Israeli strikes or produced progress on a plan for permanent peace.
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it → back → peace
Fears of a new ‘Nakba’
Ben-Gvir’s comments followed those of Defence Minister Israel Katz, from Netanyahu’s Likud party, who said on Wednesday there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration”.
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who → follow → migration
“We are fully prepared to move them out if it becomes possible by sea, by air, by every way possible.
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it → prepare → way
Egypt is not willing, so it won’t be through them,” he said during an online conference hosted by Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
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he → say → newspaper
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately provide comment.
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office → provide → comment
Polls suggest Netanyahu, who has led the most right-wing coalition in Israeli history, could lose power next month, his security credentials still shaken by the 2023 attack though analysts say he can’t be written off.
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he → suggest → attack
Israel’s defence ministry in 2025 established an office tasked with overseeing voluntary emigration from Gaza, after comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting Gazans could be permanently displaced.
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Gazans → establish → Trump
Trump later backed away from the idea, which faced strong resistance from Arab states and was widely rejected internationally.
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which → back → states
Israel reportedly sounded out several African countries as potential resettlement sites.
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Israel → sound → sites
Netanyahu has said he supports what his government has described as “voluntary emigration” from Gaza, but that far-right ministers goals of re-establishing Jewish settlements in the territory are unrealistic.
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goals → say → territory
Israeli officials have denied intending to transfer Gaza’s population out by force.
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officials → deny → force
Calls for resettlement of Gazans have prompted fears among Palestinians of a new “Nakba”, the name given to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes in the wake of the 1948 war that accompanied the founding of the state of Israel.
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that → prompt → Israel
The Gaza Strip is central to Palestinian hopes of statehood in territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
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Strip → capture → war
Genocide in Gaza
Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.
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Israel → kill → authorities
A UN inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, arguing that its killings, siege and destruction were carried out with the intent to destroy Palestinian life in the enclave.
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killings → determine → enclave
Israel, which is fighting a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, rejects genocide allegations as politically motivated and claims that its military campaign targets Hamas, not Gaza’s civilian population.
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campaign → fight → Hamas
This week, Ben-Gvir posted an AI-generated video depicting dozens of Palestinian prisoners on a conveyor belt, entering a prison facility.
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Gvir → post → facility
They emerge from the other side emaciated, distressed and in tears.
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They → emerge → tears
Ben-Gvir later deleted the video, after it had amassed millions of views on X. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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office → delete → comment
In a crowded Gaza City displacement camp, some Palestinians said that they believed the latest Israeli calls were an election ploy.
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calls → say → camp
They also said Gaza was their land and they would never leave it.
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they → say → it
“We will die on the land of Gaza,” said one resident, 52-year-old Mohammed Abu Al-Qumbuz.
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resident → die → Gaza
“We were born on it, our children grew up on it, so it is very difficult to think of leaving.”
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it → bear → it
