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.



Family of Murdered Libyan Calls for Retrial of Saadi Gaddafi

 
File photo of Saadi Gaddafi (AFP)
File photo of Saadi Gaddafi (AFP)
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Family of Murdered Libyan Calls for Retrial of Saadi Gaddafi

 
File photo of Saadi Gaddafi (AFP)
File photo of Saadi Gaddafi (AFP)

The family of the murdered Libyan footballer Bashir Al-Riani has vowed not to “forfeit his blood” after the country’s Supreme Court overturned the acquittal of Saadi Gaddafi in the case.

The Tripoli Court of Appeals in April 2018 had acquitted the son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi of charges related to Al-Riani’s torture and murder in 2005. Despite the acquittal, Saadi remained imprisoned until his release on Sept. 6 2021, after which he reportedly left for Turkiye.

In a video statement, Al-Riani’s son announced that the Supreme Court had overturned Saadi’s acquittal and accepted an appeal against it, returning the case to the Tripoli Court of Appeals. He asserted this decision as proof of Saadi’s guilt and vowed to pursue justice until the trial is completed.

While no comment was issued by Saadi’s supporters regarding the Supreme Court’s decision, Ahmed Nashad, a Libyan lawyer and head of the defense team for Abdullah Senussi, former intelligence chief under Gaddafi, explained that overturning Saadi’s acquittal requires a new trial before the Tripoli Court of Appeals.

Al-Riani was found dead in 2005 near Saadi’s seaside residence. Saadi was accused of torturing and killing him, though accounts of the incident vary widely.

In June 2014, former Attorney General Abdelkader Jumaa Radwan referred Saadi’s case to the indictment chamber of the North Tripoli Primary Court after concluding the investigation.

Saadi, 50, was a former football player. He tried in vain to establish a football career in the Italian League, before leading an elite military unit.

Some Libyans, who oppose the Gaddafi regime, say that Saadi heard Al-Riani saying that the man was not talented at football. Meanwhile, another unreliable story states that Al-Riani was drunk and refused to obey Saadi’s guards, so they shot him. This story is denied by the victim’s family.

A former political official close to the Government of National Unity said that Saadi’s release was likely politically motivated, part of broader efforts to free several former regime figures. He noted that many Gaddafi loyalists remain imprisoned despite court orders for their release.