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Extension | Israel says it has no plans to deport Palestinians from Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said this Friday that Israel has no plans to deport the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip, adding that it will coordinate its plans with neighboring Egypt for the hundreds of thousands of refugees in the city of Rafah.

Both Palestinians and their Arab neighbors are deeply concerned about the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its attack in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Israel is prepared to attack Rafah, and multiple sources have said that contingency plans are being drawn up in Egypt to accommodate the Palestinians if the situation becomes critical. Satellite images have shown Cairo preparing space at the border, which NGOs say could be used to host refugees if necessary.

Katz said Israel had no choice but to enter Rafah, because fighters from the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas were using the city as cover.

Katz said, “We have no intention of deporting any Palestinian from the Gaza Strip.” “Israel does not wish to harm any Palestinian civilian; That’s why we move them to safe areas while Hamas tries to stop it. “We have no intention of controlling civilian life in Gaza after the war.”

This position is not shared by the entire Israeli government, most of whose ultra sectors have proposed mass expulsion of Palestinians from the enclaves and the reconstruction of Israeli colonies abandoned in 2006.

Asked where the city’s thousands of Palestinians would go, Katz suggested that once Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second city, is “liberated” from Hamas militants, they could return there or to the west of the enclave.

Most of Israel’s allies, the United Nations, and many NGOs have warned that expelling refugees to Egypt would be a catastrophe. Katz has ruled out that option and assured that Israel is discussing the evacuation of refugees with the United States, but that it will also coordinate with Egypt.

Katz promised, “We will deal with Rafah after we talk to Egypt about it. We will coordinate it, make a peace deal with them and find a place that will not harm the Egyptians.” “We will coordinate everything and will not harm your interests.” (Reuters)