Israel actively pushing Palestinian emigration from Gaza, official says

Israel is actively promoting the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, and is even checking if other countries, including in the Middle East, are willing to absorb them, a senior Israeli official says.

Last year, more than 35,000 Gazans already left the Hamas-run coastal clip, the senior officials says.

“That’s a pretty high number,” the senior official says.

Israel is even willing to consider allowing Gazans to use an Israeli airport close to Gaza to allow those Palestinians leave for their new host countries, the official says, likely referring to the Nevatim airport.

The National Security Council has been dealing with the effort for the last year, according to the senior official.

Israel has recently spoken to European leaders and even countries in the region, asking if they were ready to accept Palestinians who want to leave the Strip, he says. So far, no country has agreed to absorb them, though.

— Raphael Ahren