Israel is not planning to expel or deport any Palestinians from the Gaza Strip by force, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Wednesday, after a fellow government member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, recently announced his plan to encourage the departure of the vast majority of the war-torn enclave’s population.

“We are not planning to expel or to deport anyone from [the] Gaza Strip,” Sa’ar declared during a press conference in Ljubljana, where he was attending the opening of an Israeli embassy in Slovenia.

“If someone wants to immigrate of his own will, and there is a country which is ready to accept him,” Sa’ar continued, “as it happens from any conflict area in the world, we will not oppose that.”

“But we will not force anyone against his will,” he insisted.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar: We are not planning to expel or deport anyone from the Gaza Strip. If someone wants to immigrate willingly and a country is ready to accept him, we will not oppose that.#Israel #Gaza #Palestinians #WestBank #Hamas #MiddleEast pic.twitter.com/EwWsjHOchE Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms — The Geo-Political Arena (@GPoliticalArena) September 9, 2026

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar: We are not planning to expel or deport anyone from the Gaza Strip. If someone wants to immigrate willingly and a country is ready to accept him, we will not oppose that.#Israel #Gaza #Palestinians #WestBank #Hamas #MiddleEast pic.twitter.com/EwWsjHOchE

— The Geo-Political Arena (@GPoliticalArena) September 9, 2026

His remarks appeared intended to counterbalance recent attempts by several senior members of government, including Ben Gvir........

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