Israel’s far-right national security minister has unveiled a plan to facilitate the departure of nearly 1.9 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip over seven years, drawing immediate criticism from Palestinians, Arab countries and rights groups over a proposal they say could amount to forced displacement despite being presented as voluntary.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, presented the plan, called “Disengagement 710,” on Thursday as a centerpiece of his party’s campaign ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 parliamentary election.
The proposal calls for about 250,000 Palestinians to leave Gaza during the first year, roughly 1.11 million within three years and 1.86 million within seven years.
With Gaza’s population estimated at roughly 2.1 million, the plan would seek to relocate the vast majority of the territory’s Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir said the initiative would provide Palestinians with a voluntary pathway to leave Gaza, with Israel offering financial and logistical assistance and working with countries willing to receive them.
Critics argue that Gaza’s widespread destruction, displacement, restricted humanitarian access and continuing insecurity make it impossible to regard mass departures as genuinely voluntary.
The proposal is based on a 20-page document outlining a system for encouraging and organizing Palestinian departures.
It calls for a dedicated government ministry to implement the program, negotiate with potential destination countries and oversee the movement and integration of Palestinians who leave Gaza.
Under the proposal, each Palestinian leaving Gaza would need a receiving country willing to accept them and provide legal status.
The assistance package would include travel documents and visas, transportation, initial housing, vocational training, employment assistance and financial support for up to 24 months.
The plan also proposes payments to countries and organizations involved in receiving Palestinians. Individuals would undergo security screening, while Israeli authorities would receive regular reports on applications, approvals, departures, costs and integration outcomes.
The initial Israeli investment is estimated at about 10 billion shekels, or roughly $3.3 billion. The broader financing framework could reach 50 billion shekels, or about $16.6 billion, depending on international participation and agreements with destination countries.
Ben-Gvir has described the proposal as the product of months of work and presented it as a practical solution for Gaza’s future after the war.
“We must seize this historic opportunity to bring about a historic solution,” he said.
The proposal mentions Türkiye, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and unspecified Arab countries as potential destinations.
However, no country has publicly confirmed an agreement to accept Palestinians on the scale proposed.
That presents a major obstacle. Relocating 1.86 million people would require agreements with multiple governments, extensive transportation and housing arrangements, legal status for those arriving and billions of dollars in funding.
Ben-Gvir has claimed that countries are prepared to receive Palestinians and that many people in Gaza want to leave. Israeli media reports have noted the lack of publicly confirmed large-scale commitments.
Ben-Gvir and his supporters insist the plan involves no forced removals.
Human rights groups, Palestinian officials and legal experts argue that the circumstances under which people make the decision to leave must also be considered.
Much of Gaza has been devastated by the war that began after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Large parts of the territory’s housing and infrastructure have been destroyed or damaged, while repeated military operations have displaced much of the population.
Critics say offering people a choice between remaining amid destruction and insecurity or accepting assistance to leave can undermine the claim that departures are genuinely voluntary.
International humanitarian law prohibits the forcible transfer or deportation of protected civilians from occupied territory. Depending on the circumstances, such transfers can constitute serious violations of international law and war crimes.
UN officials and rights organizations have previously warned that proposals encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza could amount to forcible transfer if conditions effectively deprive residents of a meaningful choice.
Ben-Gvir rejects that characterization and says Palestinians who choose to leave would receive assistance and legal status in their new countries.
Palestinian officials and residents have repeatedly rejected proposals for large-scale relocation outside Gaza, arguing that Palestinians should remain on their land and eventually rebuild.
The proposal has revived memories of the Nakba, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
The scale of Ben-Gvir’s plan has intensified those fears because it would leave only a fraction of Gaza’s current population in the territory if fully implemented.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has also advocated Palestinian emigration from Gaza, adding to concerns that the idea is gaining support among senior government officials.
Katz said Wednesday that Israel was prepared to facilitate Palestinian departures by sea, air and other means once the United States approved the plan and destination countries were secured.
He said there could be no lasting solution for Gaza without Palestinian emigration.
Egypt has strongly opposed allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza through its territory, while Arab governments have repeatedly rejected proposals that could result in permanent demographic change.
The initiative also revives an idea that drew widespread condemnation after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed in February 2025 that Palestinians could be relocated from Gaza as the territory was rebuilt.
Trump envisioned transforming Gaza into what he called a prosperous “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The proposal was rejected by Palestinian leaders and Arab governments and faced opposition internationally over concerns that Palestinians could be permanently displaced.
Trump later backed away from mass resettlement as a formal objective, while earlier Israeli efforts to identify countries willing to receive Palestinians failed to produce publicly confirmed large-scale agreements.
Ben-Gvir’s proposal nevertheless reflects the continued influence of the idea among Israel’s far right.
The proposal is closely tied to Israeli domestic politics.
Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party plans to make adoption of the relocation program, including the creation of a dedicated ministry, a key demand in negotiations over participation in Israel’s next government.
The initiative is therefore both a policy proposal and an electoral message aimed at voters who favor a tougher approach toward Gaza and oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the right and used the Gaza war to push for more aggressive policies.
But the proposal faces significant practical and diplomatic obstacles, particularly the absence of confirmed destination countries.
Its implementation would also depend on the election outcome, coalition negotiations, the position of the Trump administration and the willingness of foreign governments to participate.
Ben-Gvir’s plan is the latest in a series of calls by Israeli far-right politicians for Palestinians to leave Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously advocated policies encouraging Palestinian emigration, while other Israeli officials have discussed ways to facilitate departures.
Those proposals have consistently faced opposition from Palestinian representatives, Arab governments, international organizations and rights groups.
The central dispute remains whether Palestinians leaving Gaza under current wartime conditions could genuinely be considered to have made a free choice.
As of early September, “Disengagement 710” remains a proposal by Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party rather than adopted Israeli government policy.
Its prospects depend on the Oct. 27 election, coalition negotiations, U.S. policy and the willingness of third countries to accept Palestinians.
