Israel Defense Minister Yisrael Katz Says Israel Will Implement Gaza Voluntary Migration Plan

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Wednesday that Israel will implement the voluntary migration plan for the Gaza Strip at the “right time and in the right way.”

“In Pictures The Israeli military has issued expanded leave-or-die threats for Lebanese residents, mandating that all individuals south of the Zahrani River relocate north immediately”

Al Jazeera

The same report says indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement reached a dead end, with Hamas insisting on its weapons and on the withdrawal of the Israeli army.

Al Jazeera

Health officials in the Gaza Strip say that about 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the ceasefire took effect, while the Israeli army said militants killed 4 of its soldiers during the same period.

Health authorities in Gaza say more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the enclave since the war began in October 2023.

The Israeli military issued expanded leave-or-die threats for Lebanese residents, mandating that all individuals south of the Zahrani River relocate north immediately.

An Israeli spokesperson warned that those who fail to comply “may endanger their lives due to Israeli military activity.”

Al-Jazeera Net

The forced evacuation zone now extends from the Litani River to areas beyond the Zahrani River, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Israeli border, and the Norwegian Refugee Council said the orders cover more than 1,470 square kilometres (568sq miles) and affect more than 100 towns and villages.

Within just two weeks, more than 18 percent of Lebanon’s population—more than one million people—has been displaced, and the International Organization for Migration registered 1,049,328 individuals as displaced with 132,742 residing in overcrowded collective shelters.

In Israel, the Aliyah, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee, chaired by MK Gilad Kariv, held its fourth follow-up discussion on the rise in Israelis leaving the country, with data presented saying approximately 125,200 citizens have left Israel since 2022.

“The Aliyah, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee, chaired by MK Gilad Kariv, held its fourth follow-up discussion today (Monday) on the rise in the number of Israelis leaving the country in recent years”

Israel National News

The Israel National News report says a new strategic plan to bring Israelis back to Israel is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2026, while it also says there is currently no comprehensive government plan to stop the decline or to bring emigrants back.

Al-Jazeera Net frames the same trend as a “tsunami” of Israelis choosing to leave, quoting Gilad Kariv as describing migration from Israel as no longer isolated cases.

The Al-Jazeera Net report adds that a Knesset Research and Information Center report based on Central Bureau of Statistics data says the net migration balance of citizens declined by 125,200 people from the start of 2022 to August 2024.