Israel’s defence minister orders army to prepare for Gaza residents’ departure [Video]

Israel’s defence minister ordered the army on Thursday to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza, after U.S. President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for announcing plans to take over the strip.

Defence Minister Israel Katz hailed Trump’s announcement that the United States would aim to take control of Gaza, resettle the more than two million Palestinians living there and transform the territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“I welcome President Trump’s bold plan, Gaza residents should be allowed the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is the norm around the world,” Katz said on X.

Katz said his plan would include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.

Displacement of Palestinians is one of the most sensitive and explosive issues in the Middle East. Forced or coerced displacement of a population under military …