Israel ready to remove Gaza population if US gives approval: Minister

Defense Minister Israel Katz told an Israeli conference that Israel has plans ready to remove Palestinians from Gaza by sea, air or any other method, pending U.S. approval on a destination. He said the plan, first floated by President Trump as turning Gaza into a resort destination before Trump backed off amid international pushback, has only been frozen, not cancelled.

Katz said approval would come once Hamas is deemed noncompliant with ceasefire terms, and claimed without citing a source that 80% of Gazans want to leave but are being prevented by Hamas. Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, and the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Katz's predecessor over alleged war crimes, which Israel and the U.S. reject.

The Gaza Health Ministry says Israel's offensive has killed 73,470 people since the war began, including more than 1,330 since the ceasefire took effect, while Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,221 people according to Israeli figures. Trump's own ceasefire framework explicitly ruled out forced displacement.

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