Israel takes on the "Trump Plan" Experts weigh in on feasibility of voluntary emigration from Gaza

According to information available to the Israeli government, at least 40% of the population of the Gaza Strip has expressed a desire to emigrate to other countries. This was stated by Israel's Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, as reported by the Times of Israel. "Our findings indicate that at least 40% of Gaza residents are interested in emigrating," said the minister.

Katz also confirmed Israel's commitment to President Trump's plan to support the voluntary repatriation of Gaza residents. He appointed Colonel Yaakov Blitstein, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Defense, as the head of the "Voluntary Relocation Administration from Gaza."

A week earlier, Israel's Security Cabinet approved Gallant's proposal to create a new department within the Ministry of Defense aimed at enabling Palestinians to voluntarily leave the Gaza Strip.

The Office of the Israeli Minister of Defense claims that Blitstein has extensive management experience, having held leadership positions in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Energy, and Transport. His role will involve "coordinating the safe and controlled relocation of Gaza residents who wish to emigrate to third-party countries, including securing their movement, setting up crossing routes, and establishing necessary infrastructure for land, sea, and air travel."

“We are determined to realize US President Donald Trump’s vision of enabling voluntary emigration for Gaza residents who wish to move to various places around the world,” said Katz.

So, how feasible is the plan for the voluntary departure of Arabs from Gaza? After all, 40% of those who have expressed interest is a significant number. What measures need to be taken? And could this lead to the long-awaited disbandment of the Hamas terrorist organization?

These questions were addressed by leading Israeli political experts in an exclusive interview for Caliber.Az.

Political analyst and Chief Editor of AVIV TV, Mark Gorin, emphasized that the desire to leave Gaza is undeniably widespread, a fact that requires no further confirmation.

“Our intelligence has gathered numerous examples of people in Gaza willing to pay substantial bribes for the chance to leave. I have no doubt that if Trump’s plan starts to work with our involvement, these unfortunate individuals, who remain in Gaza due to Hamas’ actions, trapped in dire conditions and effectively bearing the responsibility for its atrocities, will be able to find refuge outside Gaza. Finally, peace could prevail in this long-suffering region of land.

Who will control this peace and how it will unfold will depend on further negotiations between Israel and Egypt. The authority of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with the support of the United States, will likely help resolve these issues. I sincerely hope that these people find a place where they can live peacefully and prosperously. Those responsible for the atrocities and the immense suffering must be tried and held accountable for their actions. Although they may attempt to ransom their lives with hostages, this too is possible. For us, this is what matters most right now,” said the analyst.

Of course, he believes, we are still at the beginning of this difficult journey.

“But if these processes are not obstructed and everything proceeds democratically, those who wish to stay will stay, and those who want to leave will leave. This is achievable with the help of the United States, as well as the friendly support of Jordan, Egypt, or other countries in the Middle East. Of course, this will require financial assistance from countries that have the means to provide it, or simply by offering their territories.

This issue certainly needs to be resolved because leaving Hamas, even in some minimal form, in Gaza is unacceptable. It is a criminal, terrorist stronghold that does not allow its own people, its neighbors, or anyone else to live. I’m not even talking about the state of Israel and its people.

Hamas must simply cease to exist because it is capable of any atrocity. Therefore, those who live in Gaza must find their place and save their lives. No one should be obstructed. We must help those who want to build their lives in new opportunities. Those who are not responsible for the atrocities and suffering, but who have simply fallen into misfortune, have the right to find a way forward in life.

It is important to remind that the root cause of the situation in Gaza stems from the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on peaceful villages and kibbutzim, an event that can, in some ways, be compared to the tragedy of Khojaly.

In the early 1990s, tiny Israel accepted over a million Jewish immigrants from the USSR, and this brought a new, promising future to these people.

No one intends to expel the Palestinians, who are, in many ways, close ‘relatives’ of the Egyptians. But why not help them realize their right and desire to live a normal life in other countries, primarily those that are brotherly to them?

The numbers vary, but according to the most established data, around 40% in Gaza equates to approximately 800,000 people. This is a very feasible number for resettlement, which would undoubtedly aid in the reconstruction of the long-suffering Gaza and provide a better future for its residents," said Gorin.

Journalist and historian Shimon Briman, for his part, noted that the figure of 40% of those wishing to leave the Gaza Strip is very approximate, as no public opinion surveys have been conducted there, and it is impossible to gauge the real sentiments of Gaza's residents who are under the control of the Hamas terrorist organization.

"The key point is that the Israeli government has seriously committed to the 'Trump plan' as a strategic lever to rid the Gaza Strip of terror rule and the consequences of that rule, namely the ruins. In the coming weeks—at most, within a couple of months—decisive events will unfold when the IDF conducts a new military operation to completely destroy Hamas's military and political power in Gaza. In this final round of combat, the IDF will act much more radically, quickly, and destructively against the entire terrorist infrastructure. The scale of these strikes will not only dismantle Hamas as a functional organization but will also compel hundreds of thousands of Gaza's residents to plead with countries around the world to accept refugees from the Strip," predicted the historian.

According to him, Egypt will accept a portion of these residents in a city specially prepared on the Sinai Peninsula.

"Other countries will also allow people from the Gaza Strip to enter. Beyond that, the future is too uncertain, but it will include a full military occupation of the former Gaza Strip by Israel, a lengthy process of clearing the ruins, demolishing the remains of buildings—everything that fits into Trump's vision for the future of this stretch of the Mediterranean coast. One thing is clear: Hamas will no longer exist in the Strip, and the Strip itself will cease to be a demographic bomb for nurturing terror against Israel," Briman is convinced.