An Israeli minister of right-wing Likud party has called the forced relocation of Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip a “realistic” move after US President Donald Trump brazenly proposed the relocation of Gazans to some neighboring countries.  

In an interview with Israel’s Reshet Bet public radio on Tuesday, Israeli minister of environmental Protection Idit Silman, a member of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said that the “only solution for the Gaza Strip is to remove its Palestinian population,” and called the provocative idea “realistic.”

She also stressed that the Israeli cabinet is committed to the idea of Palestinians’ expulsion from the war-ravaged territory, emphasizing that “God has sent us the US administration”.

Silman claimed that the current US administration is a sign that the occupying entity should “inherit the land.”

Citing Israel’s leading daily Haaretz, the report further quoted the Israeli minister as insisting that the Tel Aviv regime would re-establish illegal Jewish-only settlements in Gaza, specifically naming Gush Katif, a former settlement bloc dismantled in 2005.

“There’s no question about it. It could be in single-family homes or Trump-style towers, but we will definitely go back,” Silman added.

Earlier this year, Trump said the US was seeking Gaza’s “ownership” as part of a plan that he wheeled out under the guise of “rebuilding” the war-wrecked Palestinian territory, proposing the relocation of some 2.4 million Gazans to Egypt and Jordan.

Cairo and Amman strongly rejected the highly provocative plan by the American president, who later threatened he might halt aid to both nations if they refuse to take in the Gazans.

Egypt and Jordan, key US allies, depend heavily on foreign aid, as the US is among their top donors.

Trump’s proposal has drawn condemnations from the Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other nations across the world, including close US allies like Canada, France, Germany, and Britain.

Regarding efforts to secure the release of captives held by Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, Silman said the cabinet is considering various options to secure the release of the Hamas-held captives, including extending the first phase of negotiations, setting conditions for a second phase that excludes Hamas from power, or resuming military onslaughts.

Israel launched the campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed over 48,400 Palestinians there so far.

In January, the Israeli regime was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas given the regime’s failure to achieve any of its objectives, including the “elimination” of the Palestinian resistance movement or the release of captives.