Eight countries including Egypt on Sunday strongly condemned recent statements by hardline Israeli national security and defense ministers calling for the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement rejecting the calls.

The ministers condemned proposals for plans and mechanisms aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from their land.

They warned that such inflammatory statements and proposals flagrantly violate principles of international law and pose a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

The eight countries warned that turning calls for forced displacement into declared policy or concrete measures to uproot Palestinians would have grave consequences.

“Such actions constitute a direct challenge to international efforts aimed at achieving peace, foremost among them President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, including its unequivocal rejection of forced displacement,” the statement stressed.

The ministers also warned that these measures gravely risk undermining prospects for stability in the region.

Gaza, Two-State Solution

The ministers stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and underscored the need to preserve the territorial unity of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

They reaffirmed their rejection of any attempt to displace Palestinians, whether within or outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and said the only path to a just and lasting peace is the implementation of the two-state solution.

The ministers called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant international resolutions.

Call for UN Security Council

They also urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to confront any efforts to impose a new demographic or geographic reality in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and ensure respect for international law.

The eight countries reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian people’s steadfastness on their land and rejected efforts to erase the Palestinian cause or undermine their legitimate rights.

Election Push

The statements by the two Israeli ministers revived proposals for the mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza as they seek to rally supporters ahead ​of the general election in October.

The idea has been repeatedly promoted by extreme Israeli politicians since the start of the war and widely condemned by Egypt, Palestinians and the vast majority of the international community.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unveiled a seven-year plan Thursday for what he described as the “voluntary emigration” of Gaza’s population, Reuters reported.

He said he would seek to establish a government ministry dedicated to facilitating emigration if his party joins the next government.

Israel’s Proposed Destinations

Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party later said Türkiye, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among potential destinations.

His remarks came a day after Defense Minister Israel Katz said there could be “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration.”

Katz said Israel is prepared to facilitate the departure of Palestinians “by sea, by air, by every way possible.”

“Egypt is not willing, so it won’t be through them,” he added.

Katz claimed that Israel is awaiting US approval for a plan to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Global Condemnation

Egypt has repeatedly warned that it will not allow the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza into Sinai, describing such a move as a “red line” and cautioning that it will effectively extinguish the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile, United Nations officials stated that any forced displacement of people from Gaza amounts to ethnic cleansing.

World countries have also warned that such a move will further undermine prospects for the internationally backed two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Clashing With Trump’s Plan

Israel had been advocating the displacement plan throughout its war in Gaza, which left conditions across much of the enclave unliveable and raised fears of mass displacement.

The war, now under a ceasefire marred by near-daily Israeli violations, has killed more than 73,000 people, pushed Gaza to the brink of famine and devastated hospitals and critical infrastructure.

The ceasefire is being implemented under Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which stipulates that “no one will be forced to leave Gaza” and that “those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return.”