Israeli Minister Proposes ‘Resettling’ Gaza Residents Outside the Strip

Palestinians are displaced from north to south Gaza. (AFP)
Palestinians are displaced from north to south Gaza. (AFP)
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Israeli Minister Proposes ‘Resettling’ Gaza Residents Outside the Strip

Palestinians are displaced from north to south Gaza. (AFP)
Palestinians are displaced from north to south Gaza. (AFP)

Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel said on Sunday the international community should promote "the voluntary resettlement" of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip "instead of sending money to reconstruct" the enclave.

Writing in the Jerusalem Post, Gamliel proposed an option "to promote the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons, outside of the Strip."

The Likud minister also criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

"Instead of funneling money to rebuild Gaza or to the failed UNRWA, the international community can assist in the costs of resettlement, helping the people of Gaza build new lives in their new host countries," she continued.

She said Israel has tried many different solutions, such as withdrawing from the settlements in the Gaza Strip, conflict management, and building high walls, but they all failed.

"Gaza has long been thought of as a problem without an answer," Gamliel wrote, adding: "It could be a win-win solution: a win for those civilians of Gaza who seek a better life and a win for Israel after this devastating tragedy."

On Oct. 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack in Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing about 240 persons.

Since then, the Israeli army has been relentlessly bombing the Strip to eliminate Hamas.

According to the Hamas government, at least 13,000 people were killed, two-thirds of whom are women and children.

After 44 days of war, more than 1.6 million Gazans are displaced, equivalent to two-thirds of the population of the enclave.

About 80 percent of Gaza's population are refugees or the children and grandchildren of refugees who left their homes during the Nakba during the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Various officials, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, have warned of a "second Nakba" in wake of the Israeli attack.



US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)

American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group.

Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead.

He told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Bashar al-Assad. He added that US President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive.

Zakka said Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating.

Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip.

Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status.