Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the army on Thursday to prepare a plan to allow residents to "voluntary departure" the Gaza Strip after US President Donald Trump sparked widespread condemnation for announcing plans to take control of the Strip, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
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Katz welcomed Trump's announcement that the United States would seek to take control of Gaza, relocate the more than 2 million Palestinians living there, and turn the territory into a "Riviera of the Middle East.
"I applaud President Trump's bold plan, the people of Gaza should be given the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is customary around the world," the minister wrote in X.
Katz said that his plan would include options for exit through land crossings, as well as special conditions for exit by sea and air.
Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim accused Katz of trying to cover up "a state that failed to achieve any of its goals in the war with Gaza" and said that Palestinians are too attached to their land to leave it.
The publication notes that the displacement of Palestinians is one of the most sensitive and explosive issues in the Middle East.
Katz said that countries that oppose Israel's military operations in Gaza should accept the Palestinians.
"Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway and others that have made accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza are legally obligated to allow any Gazan to enter their territory," he said.
"Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so. There are countries such as Canada, which has a structured immigration program, that have previously expressed their willingness to accept Gazans," he added.
His remarks prompted swift criticism from Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.
"The land of the people of Gaza is Gaza, and Gaza should be part of the future Palestinian state," Albares said in an interview with the Spanish radio station RNE.
Katz accused Hamas of holding Palestinians hostage in Gaza, preventing them from leaving, and extorting money from them through the humanitarian aid system. He did not go into details.
Trump's unexpected announcement, which sparked anger in the Middle East, came as Israel and Hamas were set to begin negotiations on a second round of a fragile ceasefire plan to end nearly 16 months of fighting in Gaza.
In a statement on X, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Trump's plan is part of Israel's attempt to "completely destroy the Palestinian people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Trump's offer was "excellent" and called for it to be considered, although he did not specify what exactly he thought Trump was proposing.