Media reports, notably highlighted by the Times of Israel, reveal that David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, visited Washington, D.C. this week. The visit was part of Israeli efforts to secure support from the administration of US President Donald Trump for a plan aimed at relocating residents from the Gaza Strip to other countries, including Libya, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.
According to two informed sources quoted by “Axios,” Barnea informed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that the three nations had shown “initial willingness” to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Barnea underscored the necessity for Washington to offer “incentives” to these countries to secure their agreement to carry out the transfer operation.
However, one of the sources indicated that Witkoff did not take a definitive stance on the proposal and remained reserved about the feasibility of proceeding with it.
In the same vein, American officials clarified that the White House is unenthusiastic about the idea of relocating Gaza residents abroad, particularly given widespread Arab rejection of such a notion.
These developments follow months after Trump floated a controversial proposal calling for the complete “temporary” evacuation of the Gaza Strip until its reconstruction. This suggestion met with sharp disapproval from most Arab nations and a significant number of Western countries.
