Far-right members of the Israeli cabinet have escalated their advocacy for the large-scale removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, presenting specific timelines and governmental frameworks for what international law prohibits as forced displacement. These political maneuvers occur amidst ongoing military operations, home demolitions, and civilian casualties in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
During a conference on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that expelling Gaza’s Palestinian population is the “only solution.” He stated that Israel is prepared to execute such a removal “by sea, by air and by every way possible,” adding that U.S. President Donald Trump has only “frozen” his support for the concept rather than abandoned it.
Subsequently, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir introduced a seven-year strategy titled “Disengagement 710,” aimed at relocating Gaza’s approximate two million residents through a process he characterized as “voluntary emigration.” Ben-Gvir also indicated that a future re-election would see the creation of a dedicated Migration Ministry to oversee the expulsions.
The U.S. State Department reiterated that it opposes any proposals for the forced displacement or mandatory transfer of Gaza’s population, though it did not explicitly condemn the statements made by Katz or Ben-Gvir.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens as death tolls rise from near-daily strikes. On Tuesday, an Israeli special forces operation near the American Hospital in Gaza City resulted in at least four deaths, including two children and a woman, and the capture of Moin al-Arabeed, whom Israel identified as the head of Hamas’s internal security. Throughout the week, drone strikes and shelling killed civilians in Jabalia, Khan Younis, and near Beit Lahia, where a 13-year-old was shot dead after Israel claimed he crossed into a controlled area.
By Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 73,658 people have been killed and 174,622 wounded since the conflict began in October 2023. The figures include 160 newly certified deaths and more than 1,340 fatalities occurring since the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire agreement in October 2025.
Recovery efforts for the deceased remain hampered by a lack of equipment. Raed al-Dahshan, chief of Gaza’s civil defence, estimated that teams could retrieve approximately 8,000 bodies from the rubble within 90 days if provided with proper heavy machinery. Currently, between 10,000 and 14,000 people are believed to remain trapped under debris. In northern Gaza, families recently buried around 100 individuals, including 60 children, recovered from the Zeitoun neighbourhood.
Health and sanitation conditions are also worsening. The World Health Organization noted that water contamination has nearly tripled since January. The Palestinian Water Authority confirmed that all five wastewater treatment plants in Gaza have ceased operations, leading to the daily discharge of roughly 55,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces carried out widespread demolitions. In Khirbet al-Tabban, located in the Masafer Yatta area, all 12 remaining homes were destroyed, leaving 70 residents, including 30 children, homeless. Nidal Younis, the council head, described the act as wiping the village “off the face of the earth,” though residents vowed to rebuild.
Additional demolitions occurred in Hebron and Bethlehem governorates, while bulldozers cleared hundreds of farmer trees near Jenin under six military orders issued in August. In occupied East Jerusalem, municipal bulldozers tore down a four-apartment building in al-Bustan, marking the 60th such demolition in the area since October 2023.
Violence against Palestinians also intensified in al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah. Following a settler raid accusing residents of livestock theft, Israeli troops and settlers opened fire on villagers. Eyewitnesses reported that 16-year-old Khalil Abu Alia and 19-year-old Mohammad Nassan were killed. The military stated that troops were securing livestock and firing at “instigators” during a “violent riot,” while witnesses claimed Nassan was shot in the back.
In subsequent days, mourners reported being beaten and pepper-sprayed, and an ambulance was attacked. Wafa news agency also reported that settlers killed 20-year-old Omar Tubasi and injured three others during a raid on the village of Hajja near Qalqilya.
Further unrest included settlers storming Umm al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills, injuring a child, and soldiers declaring the area a closed military zone that applied only to Palestinians. In Turmus Ayya, a settler wearing a shirt with the logo of the banned Kach movement was filmed on a Palestinian home asserting “this land is Jewish” during a visit by U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Elsewhere, a month-long siege of three homes in Qusra continued, with soldiers initially blocking aid deliveries from peace activists. In East Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli police killed Ibrahim al-Hendi, 33, near Damascus Gate, alleging he attempted to stab an officer.
Ben-Gvir’s ‘voluntary emigration’ euphemism is frankly insulting. No one is leaving voluntarily at gunpoint. This is ethnic cleansing, plain and simple.
This is absolutely chilling. Forcing two million people to flee again feels like a war crime waiting to happen. What is the world doing to stop this?