Far-right Israeli ministers have stepped up calls for the complete removal of Palestinians in Gaza, presenting specific government strategies for forced displacement while military strikes and West Bank demolitions persisted. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated at a conference that expelling Palestinians is the sole solution, asserting that Israel is prepared to act by sea, air, and other means, and claiming that US President Donald Trump has temporarily frozen rather than dismissed the concept. Following this, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir introduced a seven-year initiative named “Disengagement 710” to displace Gaza’s population through termed voluntary emigration, adding that a Migration Ministry would be established if he is re-elected. The US State Department stated it does not support forced displacement or mandatory transfer proposals, though it refrained from directly criticizing Katz or Ben-Gvir. Continuous strikes across Gaza elevated the death toll, which the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported reached 73,658 killed and 174,622 wounded since October 2023, including over 1,340 deaths since the October 2025 ceasefire. In northern Gaza, families buried roughly 100 bodies recovered from Zeitoun, while civil defence officials noted that thousands more remain missing under rubble. Humanitarian conditions worsened as water contamination rates tripled and all wastewater treatment plants shut down. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces conducted extensive demolitions, including wiping out the village of Khirbet al-Tabban in Masafer Yatta and destroying homes, wells, and greenhouses in other areas. Meanwhile, settler raids and violence resulted in multiple deaths and injuries in villages such as al-Mughayyir and Hajja, alongside ongoing property destruction and movement restrictions.
Source: aljazeera.com
