Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday evening that the IDF will prepare a detailed plan that will enable the implementation of President Trump's vision for the immigration of Gazans. "I have instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to assist them in leaving Gaza, which will help any resident of Gaza who is interested in leaving to anywhere in the world that agrees to accept him. I welcome US President Donald Trump's bold plan that will include exit options at land crossings and special arrangements for travel by sea and air," Katz said at the end of a security assessment on the issue. He noted that "countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have made false accusations against Israel because of its activities in Gaza, should be obligated by law to enable all Gazans to immigrate to their country. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so. "Hamas used the residents of Gaza as human shields and built terror infrastructures in the heart of civilian populations. Hamas is now holding these people hostage, extorting money from them, while abusing humanitarian aid and preventing them from leaving Gaza. The residents of Gaza must be allowed to enjoy the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is customary everywhere in the world," the Defense Minister said. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403534 Nearly one-third of Gaza residents wanted to leave before the war, according to survey data published by Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch in the Jerusalem Post on Monday. The proportion has almost certainly risen since the start of the war in October 2023, after the Hamas terror attack on Israel. Marcus wrote: The question being asked today around the world is whether President Donald Trump’s plan to resettle Gazans in other countries can succeed. Judging by a poll taken just prior to the war, before much of Gaza was destroyed, Trump’s proposal is reasonable. The poll by the top Palestinian polling agency, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, found that a full 44% of Gazan youth between the ages of 18-29 were considering emigrating. Nearly a third (31%) of the entire population considered emigrating. Gazans’ “most preferred destination for immigration is Turkey, followed by Germany, Canada, the United States, and Qatar,” the poll found. In addition to proposing that most or all of the current residents of Gaza be resettled elsewhere, President Trump said last week that the U.S. intends to take possession of Gaza — unless an alternative plan can be found. [40 minutes] President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Monday: it must release all of the remaining Israeli and American hostages from Gaza by noon on Saturday, or the ceasefire deal is over — and Israel can respond as it wants. “All bets are off … let hell break out,” Trump said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office as he signed executive orders. ...Many Israelis speculated that Hamas had been badly stung by the global reaction to the sight of emaciated Israeli hostages being released on Saturday (the president himself said that they reminded him of Holocaust survivors after the Second World War). There are 73 hostages still in Gaza, 17 of whom were still slated to be released in the first phase. Not all of them are alive, and dozens would have remained in captivity until a “second phase” of the agreement. Now, he wants all of them home. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Tuesday that if Hamas did not release all 73 of the remaining hostages still in Gaza by noon on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would resume attacking “until the final defeat of Hamas.” Netanyahu issued his ultimatum a day after President Donald Trump said that Hamas had until noon on Saturday to release all of the hostages or else he would “let hell break out” and allow Israel to do whatever it wanted to do. Trump, in turn, was responding to Hamas’s announcement that it was pausing the release of hostages, after the latest hostages to be released shocked the world with their emaciated appearance, drawing global criticism of the group. Netanyahu, having just returned from a week-long visit to the U.S., issued a statement (translated from Hebrew by the Government Press Office): I have just finished an in-depth, four-hour Security Cabinet meeting. We all expressed outrage over the shocking state of our three hostages who were released last Saturday. We all welcomed President Trump’s demand to release our hostages by Saturday noon as well, and we all welcomed the President’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza. In light of Hamas’s announcement regarding its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I instructed the IDF to amass forces inside – and surrounding – the Gaza Strip. This action is being carried out at this hour and will be completed very soon. The unanimous decision that I passed in the Cabinet is as follows: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas.
Defense Minister: 'Countries that criticized Israel must accept Gazan immigrants':
Nearly One-Third of Gazans Wanted to Leave — Before the War:
Trump and Netanyahu's Historic Meeting | MidEast Update:
‘Let Hell Break Out’: Trump Demands Hamas Free ALL Hostages by Saturday Noon or Deal’s Off and Israel Can Fight:
Netanyahu: Hamas Must Return All Hostages by Noon Saturday, or Face ‘Final Defeat’: