Israel ‘seeking Trump’s support for plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza’

Israel’s defence minister Katz has said his country is seeking President Trump’s support to approve plans to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in what has widely been condemned as a potential war crime.

Trump discussed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip in early 2025 that would have involved removing Palestinians from the territory, but has since pulled back from the idea. A 20-point peace plan the White House drew up last year did not call for Palestinians’ deportation, an act that would be widely seen as ethnic cleansing.

Katz, however, said on Wednesday that he believed US support could tip regional opinion in favour of the forced resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, and believed that Trump’s approval was crucial to convince neighbouring countries to accept Palestinian refugees.

The remarks come during a competitive election season in Israel in which the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his rightwing allies have appealed to voters by calling for more aggressive measures against Palestinians. This has attracted backlash from different countries already.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request from the Guardian for comment on the subject.