Israel will ‘finish the job’ in Gaza and seek Palestinians’ migration — defense minister

Defense Minister Israel Katz says it is only a matter of time before the country resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to encourage the emigration of its two million Palestinians.

Katz makes the comments while responding to criticism from another right-wing contender, Ofer Winter of the People of Israel party, ahead of the October 27 election.

Katz says 70 percent of Gaza has already been emptied of its population by the war there. He says that an October 2025 ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump had “supreme value for all Israelis” by leading to the return of remaining hostages and ensuring “a commitment by the United States” to disarming Hamas.

“We all understand that this is not going to happen — and the IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan,” Katz says.

He said earlier this month that Israel was ready to remove Palestinians from Gaza by sea and land but was waiting for the United States, which he said was discussing where the two million people would go. Katz described the migration plan as voluntary, saying most Palestinians wanted to leave. The basis of that claim was unclear.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has denied any plan to “displace people out of Gaza against their will.”

Nearly all of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced, and most of the territory lies in rubble after the war.