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Israel slammed for plan to enable Palestinians’ departure from Gaza

Children stand at the site of a tent that was hit by Israeli bombardment at the Razi school in the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 24, 2025. Israel on March 18 resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip after a period of relative calm since a January 19 ceasefire with Hamas paused more than 15 months of war, citing deadlock in indirect negotiations on next steps in the truce after its first stage expired earlier in March. (Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) (Eyad Baba/Getty Images North America/TNS)
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TEL AVIV, Israel – Plans by Israel for a new authority to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were criticized by Israeli activists as well as by Jordan and Germany on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier confirmed that the Security Cabinet had approved a proposal to set up an authority tasked with “preparing the voluntary departure of residents of the Gaza Strip to third countries in a safe and controlled manner.”

The administration will be placed under the control of the Defense Ministry.

It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed to resettle Gaza’s population of more than 2 million to Arab countries and convert the war-torn coastal strip into a Middle East “Riviera,” a vision that has been widely rejected by Israel’s Arab neighbors, including Egypt which borders Gaza.

The Israeli campaign group Peace Now condemned the move, labeling it “an indelible stain on Israel” in an English-language post on X.

“When life in a certain place is made impossible by bombing and siege, there is nothing ‘voluntary’ about people leaving,” the organization wrote.

Germany slams Israeli plansThe German Foreign Office said it had not yet examined the Israeli proposal but said it was potentially alarming.

“If this involves setting up an authority with the aim of permanent expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, that is unacceptable and must be condemned,” a spokesman said in Berlin.

The German government also expressed sharp criticism of Israel’s decision to recognize 13 West Bank settlements seen as illegal under international law.

“We sharply condemn this decision,” a Foreign Office spokesman said. “We reject Israel’s settlement policy, as it is contrary to international law and obstructs any chance of a two-state solution by blocking a viable Palestinian state,” he added.

Jordan rejects resettlement plansJordan strongly condemned Israel’s settlement policies including the plan to facilitate migration from Gaza, with the Foreign Ministry in Amman saying they amount to forced displacement.

All measures directed against the presence of Palestinians on their land constitute a blatant violation of international law, the ministry said.

Jordan is one of the countries in the world that has taken in the largest number of refugees per citizen, particularly Palestinians and Syrians.

An estimated 30-40% of all Jordanians have Palestinian roots, including Queen Rania.

Jordan, which borders Israel to the east, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Gaza attacks restart

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in February instructed the military to draw up plans to implement Trump’s proposal for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza.

The future for roughly 2.2 million Gazans is highly uncertain after Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks in the territory last week, effectively shattering a temporary ceasefire negotiated with Palestinian extremist group Hamas in January.

Hundreds have been killed since fighting resumed and people have been forced to flee again after enduring more than 17 months of war triggered by the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.