NEW: Netanyahu Acknowledges Goal of Gaza Assault Is Forced Removal: “They Have Nowhere to Return To”
Israeli outlet Maariv reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers Sunday that Israel’s war on Gaza is intended to render large parts of the territory uninhabitable, forcing Palestinians to flee. His remarks marked one of the clearest admissions yet that mass displacement—not the return of Israeli captives—is the primary aim of the campaign.

“We are demolishing more and more homes; they have nowhere to return to,” Netanyahu said during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting. “The only natural outcome will be a desire among Gazans to emigrate. Our main problem is finding countries willing to take them.”
➤ Netanyahu said humanitarian aid in Gaza would be conditioned on displaced Palestinians never returning to their homes, justifying this by claiming they came from areas “mixed with Hamas operatives.” This proposal—punishing civilians by permanently expelling them from their neighborhoods—directly contradicts past Israeli military statements, which said aid distribution would allow family representatives to collect food and supplies on behalf of the displaced and return to their homes.
➤ Netanyahu also signaled long-term control over Gaza’s future, stating: “The United States is showing interest in the territory of Gaza.” He added, “I know I’ll disappoint some people here, but we are not currently talking about Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip.”
➤ Far-right Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit responded by calling for American Jews to settle the land instead: “Bring in the Jews of the United States—then we’ll hit two birds with one stone.”
➤ The discussion follows Donald Trump’s February declaration that a U.S.-backed plan to remove Gaza’s population and “permanently” resettle them elsewhere would begin after the war. Trump named Egypt and Jordan as possible destinations, and also floated Indonesia.
➤ In March, Israel began advancing this plan, forming an office to coordinate logistics and international pressure. Foreign organizations have reportedly already assisted dozens of Palestinian families in fleeing to Europe and other countries.
➤ Maariv claimed the program has gained traction based on anecdotally cited polling saying half of Gaza’s population wants to emigrate—though no source, methodology, or date was provided.
Mike