Israel's far right advances Gaza displacement plans amid worsening conditions

Israeli far-right ministers have increasingly advocated proposals to remove Palestinians from Gaza, with ideas once expressed largely as rhetoric being presented as potential government policy.

Defence Minister Israel Katz has said removing Palestinians from Gaza is "the only solution" and that Israel is prepared to carry this out "by sea, by air and by every way possible". Katz has also said US President Donald Trump has "frozen" rather than cancelled his support for the proposal, says Al Jazeera.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has separately proposed a seven-year initiative known as "Disengagement 710", which calls for Gaza's roughly two million residents to leave through what he describes as "voluntary emigration".

Ben-Gvir has said he would establish a dedicated "Migration Ministry" to oversee the process if he is re-elected.

The US State Department has rejected proposals for removing Gaza's population, saying it "does not support any plan or proposal for the forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of the population of Gaza". Washington did not explicitly condemn the proposals by Katz or Ben-Gvir.

Rising casualties and worsening conditions

The Palestinian Ministry of Health says 73,658 people have been killed and 174,622 wounded in Gaza since October 2023. More than 1,340 people have been killed since an October 2025 ceasefire, according to the ministry.

Israeli military operations have continued despite the ceasefire. A special forces raid near Gaza City recently killed four Palestinians and captured Moin al-Arabeed, whom Israel identified as the head of Hamas's internal security service.

Near-daily airstrikes and drone attacks have also killed civilians, including children, in areas including Jabalia, Gaza City and Deir el-Balah.

Funerals were recently held for about 100 people, including 60 children, whose remains were recovered from rubble in northern Gaza.

Raed al-Dahshan, chief of Gaza's civil defence service, said between 10,000 and 14,000 people remained missing beneath the rubble. He said retrieving an estimated 8,000 bodies still buried under debris could take years without adequate heavy machinery.

The humanitarian situation has also deteriorated. The World Health Organization said water contamination in Gaza had nearly tripled since January.

All five wastewater treatment facilities in Gaza have shut down, resulting in the discharge of about 55,000 cubic metres of raw sewage each day, according to the WHO.

Demolitions and violence in the West Bank

Israeli forces have also continued demolitions in the occupied West Bank.

In Khirbet al-Tabban in Masafer Yatta, Israeli forces demolished all 12 homes in the community, leaving about 70 residents homeless. Demolitions also targeted water wells and greenhouses in Hebron, homes in Bethlehem and agricultural trees in the Jenin region.

In East Jerusalem, a four-apartment building was demolished in the al-Bustan community, bringing the number of demolitions there since October 2023 to 60.

Violence involving Israeli settlers and soldiers has also intensified in several West Bank communities.

Heavy clashes were reported in al-Mughayyir after settlers and soldiers raided the village over allegations of livestock theft. Snipers shot and killed Khalil Abu Alia, 16, and Mohammad Nassan, 19, according to the information provided.

In other incidents, settlers shot and killed Omar Tubasi, 20, in Hajja and injured a child in Umm al-Khair. Settlers also blocked aid or damaged infrastructure in Qusra and Tayasir.

In East Jerusalem, Israeli police shot and killed Ibrahim al-Hendi near Damascus Gate after alleging that he had attempted to stab an officer.