Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s push in favor of relocating Gaza residents, Israel’s Otzma Yehudit Party on Tuesday said it had introduced a bill that would financially compensate those choosing to leave the enclave.
According to a statement by the party, those choosing to leave the Strip would receive a “financial assistance package” determined by the Finance Ministry under the proposed legislation, which is scheduled for a review next week by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
Anyone who accepts the package and later attempts to return to Gaza would, under the bill, be required to repay it plus a 100% penalty adjusted for inflation and interest. Failure to pay will result in a ban from entering Gaza or any other Israeli-controlled area.
Convicted terrorists are excluded by the bill, according to the statement.
“Israel continues to allow Hamas to grow and raise more terrorists. This law is meant to provide a practical solution—encouraging the voluntary departure of Gaza residents to countries willing to accept them. We expect security to be the top priority, and we call on lawmakers to support this initiative,” said Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir of the bill.
Soon after taking office last month, Trump began discussing a mass relocation of Gaza’s population, which he said was necessary for humanitarian reasons.
The U.S. president said he had discussed the issue with Jordan and Egypt, both of which, along with other Arab countries have publicly rejected Trump’s proposal. However, he has dismissed their opposition, insisting at a Q&A with journalists at the White House on Tuesday that the plan will happen.
“I think Jordan and Egypt will—I know they’ve spoken about it with you, and they say they’re not going to accept. I say they will. But I think other countries will accept, also. I think that Gaza maybe is a demolition site right now. If you look at Gaza, it’s all—I mean, there’s hardly a building standing,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Trump said during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would “take over” and rebuild the Gaza Strip. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings,” he said.
