Israel Kills 25 Aid-Seekers As Netanyahu Says He'll 'Allow' Palestinians To Leave Gaza
HuffPost
The prime minister calls the forced relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza "voluntary migration," but critics say the plan is a clear case of ethnic cleansing.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people seeking aid in Gaza on Wednesday, health officials and witnesses said, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will “allow” Palestinians to leave during an upcoming military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas.
Netanyahu wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of relocating much of Gaza’s population of over 2 million people through what he refers to as “voluntary migration” — and what critics have warned could be ethnic cleansing.
“Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want,” Netanyahu said in an interview aired Tuesday with Israeli TV station i24 to discuss the planned offensive in areas including Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people shelter. “We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave.”
Witnesses and staff at Nasser and Awda hospitals, which received the bodies, said people were shot dead on their way to aid distribution sites or while awaiting convoys entering Gaza. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Efforts to revive ceasefire talks
