8 Muslim-majority nations pan proposals by Katz, Ben Gvir promoting Gaza emigration

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan on Sunday issued a joint condemnation of remarks by Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calling for plans to facilitate the emigration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The ministers “strongly condemn” remarks by Ben Gvir and Katz “regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip,” according to an Arabic-language statement. “These statements and provocative proposals represent a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,” the statement added. The ministers warned of “grave consequences of transforming calls for forced displacement into declared policy or practical measures.” “Such measures directly challenge international efforts to achieve peace, particularly President Donald Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which includes a firm rejection of forced displacement,” they added, referring to the US-backed October 2025 peace plan for Gaza. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Far-right Ben Gvir on Thursday unveiled a plan aimed at removing the vast majority of Gaza’s Palestinian population from the territory through what he termed “voluntary emigration,” including by establishing a dedicated government ministry, saying he hoped to advance the plan if the coalition remains in power after elections in late October. Otzma Yehudit chair and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a supporters’ conference ahead of the upcoming general election, in Netanya, September 1, 2026. (Erik Marmor/Flash90) Ben Gvir’s proposal came a day after Katz said plans to facilitate mass emigration from Gaza remain under discussion and were merely “frozen” by Trump, who had initially proposed relocating Gaza’s roughly 2.3 million residents in February 2025. Katz said Israel was prepared to facilitate departures by land, sea and air, but acknowledged that no countries were currently willing to absorb Gazans on the scale envisioned. Such plans, which come as political parties ramp up their campaigning ahead of elections, would face massive international pushback if implemented and appear highly unlikely, with no country willing to take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees. Advertisement The possibility of relocating Gaza’s population sparked strong pushback in 2025, including from Egypt, and was condemned by Palestinians themselves. Trump later abandoned the proposal amid the international opposition and a lack of willing destination countries. Trump also spoke at one time of developing the coastal territory, devastated by the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, into a luxury resort destination. In his October 2025 Gaza peace plan that ended the war triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, Trump appeared to walk away from it entirely, pledging instead to “encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.” Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks at a pilots’ graduation ceremony at the Hatzerim Airbase, July 9, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces) In June, Israeli security officials were reported to be seeking to revive the moribund plan and to have rebranded it in an effort to soften international opposition. The war has already internally displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s people following the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, in which invaders killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. 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