Israel’s plan for voluntary emigration of Gazans will be implemented “at the proper time and in the proper manner,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.
“We committed that Hamas would not rule Gaza, either civilly or militarily—and so it will be,” Katz said in a statement confirming the elimination by the Israel Defense Forces of Mohammed Odeh, the new head of Hamas’s military wing and a key figure in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
“The plan for voluntary emigration from Gaza will also be implemented, all at the proper time and in the proper manner,” added the defense minister.
A survey published in Britain’s Telegraph in March 2025 revealed that 52% of Arabs from Gaza, or more than 1.1 million individuals, would leave the enclave either temporarily or permanently if given the opportunity.
Jerusalem’s Security Cabinet on March 22, 2025, approved Katz’s proposal to establish a directorate within his ministry to facilitate voluntary emigration from the Strip.
Katz stressed at the time that his initiative aligned with the vision of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously touted a plan to turn Gaza into a real estate development and relocate its some 2.2 million residents.
