Israeli minister presents plan to remove Gaza population

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir set out a plan on Thursday to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and send them abroad.

Speaking in the run-up to close-fought Israeli elections, he said the plan aimed to see the departure of 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year, followed by the rest of the roughly two million residents over the following six years.

Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said his country was ready with plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza if the United States gave its approval. Katz has for several months been advocating such a measure, presented as the voluntary emigration of Gaza's population.