Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has declared his commitment to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through the large-scale migration of Palestinians, as part of Israel's long-term plans for the territory. In a statement on Wednesday marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas's most recent military commander, Katz said the government would implement a plan for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza 'at the right time and in the right manner'.
This policy directly violates Donald Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza, which Israel signed last year. The second point of that plan states: 'Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.' Israel's government has been promoting the prospect of a Gaza without Palestinians since Trump suggested early last year that hundreds of thousands of people should leave to 'clean out' the strip for reconstruction. Last year, Israel established a bureau for 'voluntary emigration' and eased travel restrictions for Palestinians wishing to make a one-way journey out of the strip.
The forced transfer of civilian populations is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Israeli officials, including Katz, use the term 'voluntary migration' to describe their plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza. However, Israel-based human rights organisations and lawyers have warned that the conditions Israel has imposed on Gaza mean no departure can be considered voluntary, and the policy constitutes planning for ethnic cleansing.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel stated last year: 'Creating living conditions that do not allow for survival, freedom and dignity, and subjecting civilians to them until they say they want to leave is not a plan for “encouraging voluntary emigration” but a plan for forced evacuation and expulsion.' Katz said the mass departure of Palestinians from Gaza would go hand in hand with the exclusion of Hamas from power. 'We committed that Hamas will not rule Gaza civilly or militarily, and so it shall be, and also the voluntary emigration plan from Gaza will be implemented,' he posted on social media. 'Everything at the right timing and in the right manner.'
A spokesperson for Katz did not respond to questions about whether Israel was still committed to the terms of Trump's ceasefire. With an election due by the end of October, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political allies are courting voters, said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group. 'Because we are looking at an extension of the ceasefire and de-escalation of the situation in Iran and Lebanon, Israel – and Netanyahu specifically – will be looking for ways to show that they're doing something on the security front, and that means exercising military power,' she said. 'Unfortunately talking about ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not necessarily something that will hurt you in domestic politics. In fact it might even help you.'
