Earlier this week, Mossad director David Barnea met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington, D.C., presenting a request for active U.S. involvement in seeking pathways for mass relocation of Palestinians. Barnea claimed that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya had expressed openness to receiving substantial numbers of Gazan refugees, and suggested the U.S. could provide diplomatic and economic incentives to encourage them to agree.
White House officials did not confirm any policy support. Witkoff “remained non-committal,” according to sources briefed on the meeting, and it is unclear what, if any, role the U.S. might eventually play.
The governments of Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya declined to comment before publication, and none have publicly confirmed a willingness to take in Gazan refugees.
Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe
Gaza’s population—about 2 million people—has faced devastation in recent months, with near-total displacement, widespread destruction, and severe shortages of food and basic supplies. According to the UN and humanitarian agencies, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of over 59,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, since October 2023.
Israel has developed contingency plans, including herding the remaining Gaza population into a small “humanitarian zone” near Egypt, further raising concerns about long-term intentions to depopulate the enclave.
Netanyahu and Trump: A shared vision?
President Donald Trump floated a similar proposal earlier in 2025, suggesting that all Palestinians be relocated while Gaza is “rebuilt.” The idea met fierce resistance from Arab nations, European allies, and human rights organizations, effectively stalling the plan.Despite international backlash, Israeli officials—particularly from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition—have continued to pursue the concept, directing Mossad to identify potential host countries and launch diplomatic overtures. Netanyahu has described the goal as “free choice,” claiming that anyone wishing to leave Gaza should be able to do so, denying allegations of forced displacement.
International outcry and legal ramifications
The Israeli government’s goal of reducing Gaza’s population and moving Palestinians abroad has provoked outrage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration insists any displacement would be “voluntary,” yet legal experts and international human rights groups have labeled the plan a potential war crime and warned of the risk of ethnic cleansing.
A U.S. senator, Chris Van Hollen, called Israel’s request “outrageous and sickening,” urging the U.S. to reject any involvement in what he termed “ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians from Gaza”.
