Israel in talks to resettle Gaza residents to Congo. According to a senior government official, Israel has held discussions with other nations about the possible absorption of Palestinians from Gaza through "voluntary" resettlement. This initiative is gradually taking center stage in the government's stated policies. High-ranking cabinet members are allegedly following Netanyahu's lead in approving the deportation policy, which has sparked negotiations with Congo as a potential destination.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing a black coat According to reports, Israeli officials are in negotiations with other nations on the "voluntary" resettlement of Gaza residents after the Israel-Hamas conflict. The coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited other nations, including the Congo, to take in thousands of Gazan refugees.
The Hebrew website Zman Israelwas informed by a top security cabinet source that “Congo will be willing to take in migrants, and we’re in talks with others.” Netanyahu declared that he was trying to make it easier for Gazans to "voluntary migrate" abroad. Saudi Arabia, which employs millions in its expanding construction industry, is also thought to have been considered as a possibility.
Israel's ruthless and indiscriminate war in Gaza, which has killed at least 22,313 Palestinians so far, most of them women and children, and injured 57,296 more, has forced the majority of the 2.3 million residents out of their homes.
Israel gave orders for those living in the northern Gaza Strip to flee their homes at the start of the conflict, and other Israeli leaders issued declarations endorsing this policy.
Netanyahu declared on Monday at a meeting of the Likud faction that he is actively involved in setting up the voluntary relocation of Gazans to other nations. He stated:
“„Our problem is finding countries that are willing to absorb Gazans and we are working on it.- Benjamin Netanyahu
In response to Likud Knesset member Danny Danon's assertion that "the world is already discussing the possibilities of voluntary migration,"the prime minister stressed continuous efforts while acknowledging the difficulty in finding nations that will take Gazan refugees. Despite these debates, the international community has largely rejected the concept of voluntary migration.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right Israeli ministers, came under fire from the US on Tuesday for their support of the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza.
But Netanyahu's execution and support, which resulted in the secret negotiations between the Israeli government and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, seem to be a risky step up in the execution of an expulsion plan that has frequently been compared to ethnic cleansing and genocide.
The Israeli far-right government has primarily advocated for Israel to re-occupy the Strip, drive out the Palestinian population, and replace the land with Israeli and Jewish settlers, despite reports of offers from Arab governments and forces to govern Gaza, such as the Palestinian Authority or a coalition of Arab states.
Israel is not backing down from its ruthless military campaign in Gaza, in defiance of international pleas for an end to the 11-week conflict. 1,139 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which was started by the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, on October 7 against Israeli military bases and settlements around Gaza.
Many of the casualties were caused by "friendly fire" by the Israel Defense Forces. In particular, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem was one of the "daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities," according to Hamas, which justified the operation. During the operation, over 240 Israelis were taken prisoner; 110 of them have already been traded for some of the thousands of Palestinians that Israel is holding.
According to a story published in the Israeli publication Zman Yisrael on Wednesday, Israeli officials are reportedly in secret negotiations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries about the evacuation of Palestinians who have been forced from their homes due to Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israel's sister publication in Hebrew stated that the "migration" policy in Gaza is quickly taking precedence over all other policies involving Gaza's inhabitants, both within the war cabinet and under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration.