Axios: Israel Seeks U.S. Assistance in "Deals" for the Displacement of Palestinians from Gaza

Translation by SadaNews - Israeli intelligence chief (Mossad) David Barnea visited Washington this week seeking U.S. assistance in convincing countries to accept hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Axios.

The sources stated, according to SadaNews translation, that Barnea informed White House envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel is having private talks with Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya.

The Israeli government's aim to displace a large portion of the Gaza population is highly controversial. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government claims that such "transfers" would be "voluntary," American and Israeli legal experts have described it as a war crime.

In their meeting earlier this week, Barnea told Witkoff that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya have expressed openness to receiving large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza, according to the sources.

Barnea suggested that the United States offer incentives to those countries and assist Israel in persuading them.

One of the sources said, "Witkoff did not show a commitment, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. will actively engage in this issue."

Israeli officials, according to SadaNews translation, say that the Trump administration informed them that if Netanyahu wanted to pursue this idea, Israel needed to find countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza.

Netanyahu has tasked the Israeli foreign intelligence service (Mossad) with finding countries that agree to take in large numbers of displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

According to Axios, "When Netanyahu visited the White House last week, Trump was asked about this issue and referred it to the Israeli Prime Minister."

During the visit, Netanyahu stated that Israel is working "closely" with the United States to find countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza, confirming that they are "getting close to finding several countries."

Netanyahu added, "I believe President Trump had a great vision. It is called freedom of choice. As you know, if people want to stay, they can, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. The sector should not be a prison."

A senior Israeli official told reporters that Trump expressed interest during the visit in continuing to push towards the "displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza. The White House did not comment on the matter at the time.