Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-09-04 · by Ali Harb
The US State Department has publicly disagreed with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz's suggestion to remove Palestinians from Gaza, calling it "forced displacement" or "ethnic cleansing". The US reiterates its commitment to President Trump's 20-point "peace plan", which allows those who wish to leave Gaza to do so freely. According to the plan, no one will be forced to leave Gaza and those who stay will be offered opportunities to build a better life. This rejection comes despite Katz stating that removing Palestinians from Gaza is still being discussed by Israeli officials.
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.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.70, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 3741: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-04
In a rare public display of disagreement with Israel, the United States has rejected calls by top Israeli officials that the Palestinian population should be removed from Gaza.
asserted
population → reject → Gaza
Asked about Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s call for de-populating Gaza as the only “solution” to the crisis, the US State Department reiterated Washington’s commitment to President Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan” that established the “ceasefire” last year.
asserted
that → ask → ceasefire
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“
asserted
minister → want → removals
As explicitly stated in Point 12 of the President’s plan: ‘No one will be forced to leave Gaza and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return.
asserted
who → state → Gaza
We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza,'” a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera in a statement on Friday.
asserted
spokesperson → encourage → Friday
“The United States does not support any plan or proposal for the forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of the population of Gaza,” the spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → support → Gaza
Katz had said that Trump had only “frozen” – not cancelled – his support for removing Palestinians from the territory – a proposal that rights advocates say would amount to ethnic cleansing.
asserted
advocates → say → cleansing
“In the end, there is no real solution for Gaza without this migration,” Katz said on Wednesday.
asserted
Katz → be → Wednesday
Israeli officials have been using “migration” as a euphemism for de-populating Gaza.
asserted
officials → use → Gaza
Katz said the Israeli government is ready to get Palestinians out of Gaza “by sea, by air and by any means to do it” and the idea is still “being discussed all the time”.
asserted
idea → say → it
Arab states, including some close allies of the US, have forcefully rejected any effort to remove Palestinians from their land.
asserted
states → include → land
The White House referred Al Jazeera to a social media post by Trump in August celebrating an agreement to disarm Hamas.
asserted
House → refer → Hamas
The deal would include gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the almost daily deadly attacks on the territory.
But Israel rejected the proposal, saying that it would not make any concessions until Gaza is fully demilitarised.
asserted
Gaza → include → concessions
