Ben-Gvir Unveils Plan To Move 1.86 Million Palestinians Out Of Gaza In Seven Years

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has unveiled “Disengagement 710,” a controversial proposal to encourage the departure of 1.86 million Palestinians from Gaza over seven years. The plan targets 250,000 departures in its first year and 1.11 million within three years and calls for a dedicated migration ministry, agreements with receiving countries and financial assistance for those who leave. Ben-Gvir describes the process as voluntary, but critics warn that mass displacement under conditions of war and humanitarian crisis raises serious legal and ethical concerns. No country has publicly committed to accepting Palestinians on the scale envisioned by the proposal.

FAR-RIGHT MINISTER PRESENTS CONTROVERSIAL GAZA PLAN

Israeli National Security Minister and far-right Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben-Gvir has unveiled a controversial plan aimed at encouraging the departure of 1.86 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip within seven years, describing the proposed process as “voluntary migration.”
The initiative, known as “Disengagement 710,” was presented on Thursday as part of Ben-Gvir’s campaign ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. Israeli media reported that his party intends to make the proposal one of its principal demands in negotiations to join the next government.
The plan has immediately drawn attention because its proposed scale would involve the departure of the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s Palestinian population.
Critics and Palestinian rights advocates describe such a proposal as a plan for mass displacement or ethnic cleansing, while Ben-Gvir presents it as an organised programme of voluntary emigration.

TARGET OF 250,000 PEOPLE IN FIRST YEAR

According to details reported by Israeli media, the proposal sets specific targets for Palestinian departures.
Ben-Gvir’s plan seeks to facilitate:
250,000 departures in the first year
1.11 million within three years
1.86 million within seven years
The proposal would establish a dedicated government ministry or authority responsible for organising the programme, negotiating with potential receiving countries and arranging assistance for Palestinians who leave.
The name “Disengagement 710” refers to both Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza and the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, reflecting Ben-Gvir’s argument that Israel’s previous withdrawal failed to produce lasting security.

HOW THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME WOULD WORK

The plan calls for Palestinians leaving Gaza to have a destination country identified before departure.
According to reports on the proposal, individuals and families would receive assistance with documentation, visas, transportation and initial accommodation.
Ben-Gvir’s proposal also calls for agreements with countries willing to receive Palestinians and financial packages to assist with their resettlement.
The programme would reportedly monitor applications, approvals and departures and assess how people who leave are integrated into their destination countries.
However, an important question remains unanswered: which countries would actually agree to accept Palestinians on the scale envisioned by the plan?
Israeli media reports have indicated that no country is currently known to have committed to accepting such large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza.

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ENVISIONED

Ben-Gvir’s proposal would require substantial financial resources.
Reports on the plan put the initial Israeli investment at approximately $3.3 billion, with a broader financing framework of up to $16.6 billion, potentially involving international participation and agreements with destination countries.
The proposal would also establish a dedicated migration ministry, with a minister and senior officials responsible for implementing the policy.
Ben-Gvir has indicated that establishing such a ministry would be one of Jewish Power’s key demands if the party participates in the next government.

BEN-GVIR MAKES GAZA MIGRATION AN ELECTION ISSUE

The announcement comes as Israel prepares for its next parliamentary election.
Ben-Gvir has increasingly placed Gaza, Palestinian displacement and security at the centre of his political campaign.
The Jewish Power leader is competing from the right of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has frequently pushed policies more hard-line than those of other members of Israel’s governing coalition.
His proposal therefore serves two purposes: presenting a policy for Gaza while also appealing to voters who favour permanent Palestinian displacement and a tougher approach to the conflict.
Recent reporting indicates Netanyahu is also attempting to consolidate Israel’s right-wing camp before the election, amid concerns that competing far-right parties could divide the vote.

GAZA’S POPULATION HAS ALREADY BEEN DISPLACED

The proposed plan comes after nearly three years of war that have already resulted in repeated mass displacement across Gaza.
Palestinians have been forced to move multiple times as Israeli military operations have expanded across different parts of the territory.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported on September 1 that 73,462 Palestinians had been killed and 174,509 wounded since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on October 7, 2023. The figures include victims recorded by Gaza medical authorities and remain subject to independent verification.
The same source reported that more than 1,300 people had been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire that began in October 2025, while hundreds of bodies had been recovered from the territory.
Large numbers of people also remain displaced, while many areas have suffered extensive destruction.

THE QUESTION OF “VOLUNTARY” MIGRATION

The central controversy surrounding Ben-Gvir’s proposal is whether Palestinians could genuinely make a voluntary choice to leave.
Supporters of the plan describe it as an opportunity for Gazans to leave voluntarily with financial assistance and legal status in another country.
Critics argue that a choice made amid war, destruction, displacement and severe humanitarian hardship cannot simply be treated as ordinary voluntary migration.
The distinction is particularly important under international law, where the forcible displacement of civilians can constitute a serious violation depending on the circumstances.
For that reason, human-rights organisations and Palestinian representatives are likely to scrutinise any attempt to turn large-scale population movement from Gaza into official government policy.

NO CLEAR RECEIVING COUNTRIES

Perhaps the biggest practical obstacle is the absence of publicly identified countries prepared to absorb anything close to the proposed numbers.
The Israeli reports describing the initiative say Ben-Gvir claimed that countries are ready to receive Palestinians and that large numbers of Gazans want to leave.
But reports have also stressed that no country has publicly committed to accepting 1.86 million Palestinians from Gaza.
That leaves the proposal facing a major logistical and diplomatic challenge.
Moving hundreds of thousands of people would require agreements covering immigration status, housing, employment, healthcare, education, security screening and long-term residence.

A BROADER DEBATE OVER GAZA’S FUTURE

Ben-Gvir’s announcement is part of a much wider debate inside Israel over what should happen to Gaza after the war.
Israel says its security objectives include preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities and ensuring that Gaza cannot again be used to launch attacks against Israel.
But Israeli political factions differ sharply over whether Gaza should remain under Palestinian control, be administered by an international or Arab-backed authority, or undergo some form of permanent population transfer.
The debate has also extended beyond Ben-Gvir.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has recently spoken about seeking support for a migration proposal involving Gaza, arguing that a lasting solution requires what he calls “migration.” Reports have described preparations for possible departures by sea, air or other means.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For Ben-Gvir, the proposal is now part of the political contest ahead of the October election.
His Jewish Power party wants the establishment of a dedicated migration ministry and the implementation of the plan to become a condition for supporting the next government.
Whether the proposal can move beyond an election campaign document will depend on several factors: the outcome of Israel’s election, the position of the next government, international opposition, legal challenges and, most importantly, whether any countries agree to receive Palestinians in significant numbers.
For Palestinians in Gaza, however, the proposal has a far more immediate meaning.
After years of displacement and destruction, the idea that most of Gaza's remaining population could be moved outside the territory has intensified fears that displacement could become a permanent feature of the conflict rather than a temporary consequence of war.