Israel is reportedly looking to get the U.S. to help convince different countries to receive Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza as the war in the enclave continues.
Axios reported on Friday that Mossad Chief David Barnea met with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with that purpose. He said Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya have expressed openness to receiving large amounts of Palestinians.
The outlet noted that even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all those departing would do so willingly, U.S. and legal experts labeled the possibility a war crime.
Witkoff reportedly didn't make any commitments, and the White House has showed less willingness to support the initiative after getting pushback from Arab countries, Axios noted.
NBC News had reported in May that the Trump administration was working on a plan to permanently send 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. It added that, in exchange, the northern African country would see the release of billions of dollars frozen by the U.S. over a decade ago.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said at the moment that the militant group is not aware of any discussion. "Palestinians are very rooted in their homeland, very strongly committed to the homeland and they are ready to fight up to the end and to sacrifice anything to defend their land, their homeland, their families, and the future of their children," he told the outlet.
"[Palestinians] are exclusively the only party who have the right to decide for the Palestinians, including Gaza and Gazans, what to do and what not to do," he added.
Trump repeatedly floated the idea of relocating Gazans, citing the destruction of most of its territory after more than a year and a half of war. He also recently suggested again that the U.S. should take over the war-torn enclave, which could be turned into a "freedom zone."
Although he hasn't addressed the relocation issue, he said this week that Gaza was "one of the worst real estate deals ever made," adding that Israel "gave up oceanfront property" when it disengaged from the strip in 2005.
It is not the first time Trump talks about Gaza in such terms. In February, he said the U.S. would "take over" the enclave, saying a plan could turn it into the "Rivera of the Middle East." "The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We'll own it," Trump said. The plan never materialized.
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