The Israeli government has established two ministerial committees to formulate a position regarding the future of the Gaza Strip after the war.
Several Israeli plans were made public, including one discussing the deportation of Gazans to Egypt’s Sinai, which was met with an angry Egyptian response.
Political sources in Tel Aviv said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that thoughtful decisions must be made, criticizing the "irresponsible" leaks.
The sources confirmed that Netanyahu took this step after he understood that the US administration was concerned about the deportation of Gazans to Sinai and the angry Egyptian and Jordanian responses.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf arrived in Israel to prepare for the upcoming visit of State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Blinken is due to arrive for a Middle Eastern tour on Friday.
Leaf said the war must have a clear political goal, so that Israel's allies are clear on their support.
Washington hoped the concerned parties would agree on a formulation that would pave the way for a political process leading to a solution.
Recent leaks revealed several plans to displace the residents of Gaza. One project was prepared by the Ministry of Intelligence, and the other by the Misgav Institute, led by Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Ben-Shabbat spent ten years working as Netanyahu's aide and envoy for special missions. The Prime Minister then appointed him as head of the National Security Council and assigned him to the Abraham Accords.
The first plan discussed deporting Gazans to Egyptian cities, while the second aimed to send them to the Sinai desert, with the option of absorbing large groups into Western countries.
Both schemes aim to push the people of Gaza by force to the Strip's southern region until there isn't enough food, water, or medicine and then they are pushed to the Egyptian Sinai.
Egypt will be forced to open the Rafah crossing and receive them.
The Ministry's plan does not address the fate of the Gaza Strip. However, the plan issued by Misgav Institute discussed destroying the infrastructure in the enclave and turning the region into an Israeli tourist area.
The paper issued by the Ministry aims to influence the Palestinians, seeking they'd view Hamas as the cause of their woes. It also plans to ensure they'd remember for generations that whoever inflicts such a deep wound on Israel will pay a heavy price, such as losing land and homeland and not just lives.
On Friday, the US Secretary will visit Tel Aviv and several regional countries as part of a new Middle Eastern tour as the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip enters its fifth week.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that Blinken “will travel to Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government and then will make other stops in the region."
According to political sources in Tel Aviv, the meetings with Leaf indicated that Blinken intends to review the war's course and its compatibility with the US vision.
They noted that Blinken's discussions with Israeli officials would reiterate the goal of retrieving the hostages, striking a fatal blow at Hamas, monitoring fuel entrance into the Gaza Strip, and saving hospitals.
