Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said Donald Trump had not canceled his plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, but had frozen it under pressure from Arab countries and that talks were ongoing. Katz said the Israel Immigration Authority was ready to implement the plan by every means, including air and sea, and claimed that Egypt opposed forced displacement while countries that could accept Palestinians were seeking US support. He said Israel could receive a “green light” from the US for military advances and the seizure of new territory if Hamas failed to fulfill its commitments. Claiming that 70% of Gaza had been destroyed and that Hamas controlled approximately 30%, Katz said dozens of villages in southern Lebanon had been razed and 200 thousand people had been evacuated. He announced that the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps in the West Bank were being kept under control and that 40 thousand Palestinians had been displaced. Benjamin Netanyahu also threatened that Israel would expand its occupation of 60% of the Gaza Strip; Katz said, “There is no Jewish terrorism in the West Bank.”
Why it matters
The explanations show that the plan concerning Gaza is not a shelved decision, but an option that has been put on hold under pressure from Arab countries and kept contingent on negotiations. This means that diplomatic contacts could affect not only the issue of migration but also the scope of Israel’s military actions, because the possible progress tied to Hamas’s stance and the rhetoric of land seizure are creating new uncertainties regarding military developments. The data on destruction and displacement in Gaza, southern Lebanon and the West Bank show that the statements are not limited to political plans. However, it remains unclear under what conditions the plan would be implemented, which countries are being asked for support and what the US position will be.
Background
Israel is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 11 reports mentioning it in the past 90 days; the latest was dated 2 September 2026.