The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Israel has designated a point person to help Palestinians leave Gaza.
The newly created Directorate for Voluntary Transition of Gaza Residents was headed by Col. (res.) Yaakov (Koby) Blitstein, who is presently the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Defense.

“We are committed to fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s objective of permitting Gazans who so want to leave voluntarily to travel to other countries throughout the globe. According to our research, at least 40% of Gazans want to leave the territory, said Defense Minister Israel Katz.

In partnership with the U.S. government and a group headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Katz said Blitstein would provide the initiative “organizational momentum” and strengthen the current political talks with target nations.

Coordinating measures to enable the voluntary evacuation of Gaza inhabitants will be the responsibility of the newly established Directorate, which will function under the Ministry of Defense.

This entails creating pedestrian crossings, ensuring safe travel for those wishing to relocate to other nations, and organizing logistics for air, sea, and land travel. The Directorate will collaborate closely with government departments and foreign organizations.

According to a study issued Thursday by the U.S.-based research group the Rand Foundation, 90% of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict, and 70% of its housing has been damaged or destroyed.

“Gaza’s rehabilitation will cost more than $50 billion and take decades. While houses are being restored, hundreds of thousands of Gazans will need temporary housing for at least ten years, according to the research.

In February, Asher Fredman told Israel’s Press Service that, under the correct conditions, it might be possible to relocate Palestinians willingly to third nations while the US rebuilds the Strip.

Fredman, executive director of the Misgav Institute in Jerusalem, said that “if Hamas gunmen are preventing people from leaving, Gazans won’t be able to leave in large numbers.” “A military campaign would first have to weaken Hamas enough to keep it from barring Palestinians from emigrating.”

According to a June 26, 2024, study by the Palestinian Center for Policy and study Research, 44% of Gazans between the ages of 18 and 29 would leave the country if given the opportunity.

According to a 2022 study seen by TPS-IL and authored by the Hamas-affiliated Council on International Relations, 12% of the people in the Strip have left since the terror organization forcibly took over Gaza in 2007.

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israeli villages along the Gaza border, killing at least 1,180 people and taking 252 Israelis and foreigners captive. 36 of the 59 captives who are still alive are thought to be dead.