Israel’s intelligence ministry is considering forcibly moving over 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, according to official documents cited by +972 Magazine.
The document from Oct 13, 2023, evaluated three options regarding the fate of Palestinians amid ongoing Israeli aerial bombardment and the recent ground invasion of Gaza. It prioritized the complete and permanent transfer of Palestinians and urged Israel to get international support.
The intelligence ministry’s recommendations are not binding but are rather policy papers distributed to Israel’s security agencies and the government for review, according to +972.
Israel is already being accused of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as its jets indiscriminately target civilian infrastructure including hospitals, churches, schools, refugee camps, marketplaces and more. On Monday, Israeli jets targeted the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which happens to be the only hospital in the Gaza Strip to treat cancer patients. Israel also ordered residents in Gaza’s northern area to evacuate, but continued to bombard civilians trying to flee, or those who sought refuge in hospitals, churches and mosques.
The implementation of such radical plans would add to Israel’s already weak human rights record, as it would constitute a war crime under international law.
According to the ministry, Israel would evacuate civilians to tent cities in the Sinai Peninsula, which would later be replaced by permanent cities in the northern Sinai, then create “a sterile zone of several kilometers ... within Egypt, and [prevent] the return of the population to activities/residences near the border with Israel.”
Israel would force Palestinians to evacuate toward the Rafah crossing and would try to “motivate them to accept this plan” to surrender their land.
“The messages should revolve around the loss of land, making it clear that there is no hope of returning to the territories Israel will soon occupy, whether or not that is true. The image needs to be, ‘Allah made sure you lose this land because of Hamas’ leadership — there is no choice but to move to another place with the assistance of your Muslim brothers,’” according to the document.
