Mossad chief reportedly asked Witkoff for US help to move out Gazans, possibly to Ethiopia, Libya, Indonesia

Mossad chief David Barnea in Tel Aviv, on February 25, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/ Flash90)
Mossad chief David Barnea in Tel Aviv, on February 25, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/ Flash90)

WASHINGTON — Mossad spy agency head David Barnea visited Washington this week as Israel seeks the Trump administration’s help in moving Palestinians out of Gaza, Axios reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The two sources say Barnea told US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya have shown willingness to take Palestinian refugees from Gaza, and that Washington should offer “incentives” to those countries to agree to the relocation.

However, Witkoff was non-committal on the issue, a source says.

US officials also say that the White House is not keen on transferring Palestinians out of Gaza amid opposition from Arab countries.

The efforts come months after US President Donald Trump proposed that all of Gaza’s residents be moved indefinitely while the Strip is rebuilt. Arab countries and much of the Western world strongly opposed the idea, while Netanyahu and his coalition enthusiastically supported it.

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