The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan have jointly condemned remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir concerning proposals to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

In an Arabic-language statement, the ministers “strongly condemn” remarks by Ben Gvir and Katz “regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, and what they contained in terms of proposing plans and mechanisms aimed at forcibly expelling Palestinians from their land,” according to the statement.

“These statements and provocative proposals represent a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,” the statement adds.

The joint condemnation follows a proposal unveiled by Ben Gvir on Thursday that seeks to remove the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s Palestinian population from the territory through what he described as “voluntary emigration.” His proposal includes the creation of a dedicated government ministry and comes as he says he hopes to pursue the initiative if the governing coalition remains in power following elections scheduled for late October.

Ben Gvir’s proposal was announced one day after Katz said Israeli plans intended to facilitate large-scale emigration from Gaza were still being considered, despite having been “frozen” by US President Donald Trump. Trump had initially proposed relocating Gaza’s approximately 2.3 million residents in February 2025. Katz said Israel was prepared to facilitate departures by land, sea and air, while acknowledging that no countries had so far agreed to accept Gazans in the numbers envisioned by the proposal.

With political parties intensifying their campaigns ahead of the elections, any attempt to implement such plans would likely encounter significant international opposition.