US Rejects Israeli Calls to Remove Palestinians from Gaza

which underpins the current ceasefire arrangement. Point 12 of the plan states: “No one will be forced to leave Gaza and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.”

The State Department added that any movement of people must be strictly voluntary, with the focus remaining on demilitarisation, stabilisation, and redevelopment of Gaza for its residents.

Katz had argued earlier this week that “there is no real solution for Gaza without this migration.” He said the Israeli government is “organized and prepared” to facilitate the departure of Palestinians “by sea, by air, and by any means,” and claimed Trump had only “frozen” rather than cancelled earlier support for the idea.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir echoed the position, calling for “actions of emigration now” instead of “illusions of peace.”

Israeli officials have framed the proposal as voluntary “migration,” though rights groups and critics describe it as a form of ethnic cleansing. Arab states, including key US partners, have strongly opposed any forced removal of Palestinians from their land.

Trump first floated the idea of relocating Gaza’s roughly two million residents and redeveloping the territory in early 2025, drawing widespread international condemnation. He later shifted toward the 20-point plan, which both Israel and Hamas accepted in principle last year. Progress has stalled amid disagreements over Hamas’s disarmament and Israeli military presence.

The US has continued to provide substantial military support to Israel while insisting on adherence to the framework that rules out forced displacement.