Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has revealed efforts to secure Donald Trump’s support for a proposal to depopulate Gaza by encouraging or forcing Palestinians to leave. Katz claims Israel is ready to move people “by sea, by air, by every way possible”, despite international concerns that such a plan would constitute ethnic cleansing and violate international law.
Israel is seeking US President Donald Trump’s backing for a plan to forcibly remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, a move widely condemned as a potential war crime.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration”, indicating that Israel was preparing to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from the territory.
Speaking at a conference hosted by Israeli news outlet Ynet and newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Katz said Israel was “organised and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way possible”.
According to The Guardian, Katz is seeking Trump’s support for the proposal, believing that US backing could persuade countries in the region to accept Palestinians displaced from Gaza.
“Every country that is willing to take them in wants American backing,” Katz said. “Trump has not cancelled this at the moment. He has frozen it.”
Trump proposed a US takeover of Gaza early in 2025 that would have involved removing Palestinians from the territory. However, he later stepped back from the idea. A 20-point peace plan drafted by the White House last year did not include the deportation of Palestinians, which would be widely regarded as ethnic cleansing.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Guardian’s request for comment on whether Trump was still discussing Israel’s proposal to forcibly depopulate Gaza.
Katz specifically pointed to Egypt, saying Cairo had previously lobbied Washington against forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza.
“It has not been cancelled,” Katz said. “It is being discussed all the time, including now, and I think there is no other solution in the end that is in everyone’s interest.”
Katz’s remarks come amid an increasingly competitive election season in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies have sought to appeal to voters with calls for tougher measures against Palestinians.
The Guardian also reported on inflammatory remarks by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who recently posted footage from a women’s prison and said he was responsible for the facility’s harsh conditions.
When a prisoner complained about a lack of medical care, showers and clean clothing, Ben-Gvir responded: “The good conditions in the prisons are over. This is the current situation, and I am directly responsible for everything. I am pleased with these conditions.”
Meanwhile, Netanyahu visited an Israeli military position near the so-called yellow line in Gaza on Wednesday.
Israel has said it will not withdraw from the line until Hamas disarms, despite calls for a phased withdrawal as part of efforts to consolidate a recent ceasefire with the group.
“We control the territory and are staying on this line,” Netanyahu said. “We are doing everything to achieve our goal – disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”