Israeli minister says plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza ‘still on table’

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar

JERUSALEM / ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Monday that US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip "remains on the table.”

Speaking to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Cohen said the so-called “voluntary migration” plan proposed by Trump is being followed up.”

Since February, Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

“Efforts to implement the plan are ongoing on the ground," Cohen said, without providing further details.

The Israeli minister said there are “advanced talks” with two countries regarding the issue, without naming them. He, however, said that one of the two countries is “Islamic.”

“I don’t see a serious reconstruction process on the horizon for the Gaza Strip in the coming years,” Cohen said. "Promoting the option of voluntary migration has become a realistic necessity imposed by the current situation in Gaza.”

Late Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that his army continues to destroy homes in Gaza to prevent Palestinians from returning and to force them to emigrate.

Nearly 52,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.