Israeli ministers push Gaza depopulation as death toll passes 73,600

September 8, 2026 at 10:34 AM3 min

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Far-right Israeli ministers last week intensified calls for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza, with Defence Minister Israel Katz calling it "the only solution" and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unveiling a seven-year "Disengagement 710" plan. The US State Department said it does not support forced displacement but stopped short of directly condemning the ministers. Gaza's death toll reached 73,658 since October 2023, with more than 1,340 killed since the October 2025 ceasefire.

Key Facts

Defence Minister Israel Katz told a conference on Wednesday that removing Palestinians from Gaza is "the only solution" and Israel is prepared to do it "by sea, by air and by every way possible".
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unveiled a seven-year plan, branded "Disengagement 710", to remove Gaza's roughly two million residents through what he called "voluntary emigration".
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 73,658 people have been killed and 174,622 wounded since October 2023, after 160 additional deaths were certified and added to the casualty figures.
More than 1,340 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 Israeli-Hamas ceasefire.
The US State Department said it "does not support any plan or proposal for the forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of the population of Gaza" but stopped short of directly condemning Katz or Ben-Gvir.

Ministerial Push for Expulsion

Far-right Israeli ministers began more forcefully advocating the wholesale removal of Palestinians in Gaza last week, offering timelines and government mechanisms to conduct illegal forced expulsions. Defence Minister Israel Katz told a conference on Wednesday that removing Palestinians from Gaza is "the only solution", saying Israel is prepared to do it "by sea, by air and by every way possible". Katz added that US President Donald Trump has merely "frozen" – not cancelled – his support for the idea. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unveiled a seven-year plan, branded "Disengagement 710", to remove Gaza's roughly two million residents through what he called "voluntary emigration". Ben-Gvir added that, if re-elected, he would establish a Migration Ministry to expel Palestinians.

Rising Death Toll

Gaza's death toll has continued climbing through near-daily strikes, with an Israeli special forces raid near Gaza City's American hospital on Tuesday killing at least four Palestinians, including two children and a woman. The raid ended with the capture of Moin al-Arabeed, described by Israel as the head of Hamas's internal security. A drone strike killed a child in Jabalia refugee camp on Wednesday, the same day an attack on a tent in Khan Younis killed one person. On Thursday, two Palestinians, including a 13-year-old, were shot dead near Beit Lahia after Israel said they had crossed into an Israeli-controlled area, while a separate drone strike killed a man near a church compound in Gaza City's Remal neighbourhood. Before dawn on Monday, at least five more Palestinians in Gaza were killed including three-year-old Saadi Ghalia, who was killed when an artillery shell struck a school in Deir el-Balah sheltering displaced people.

US Response

The US State Department said it "does not support any plan or proposal for the forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of the population of Gaza". The statement stopped short of directly condemning Katz or Ben-Gvir. By Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 73,658 people have been killed and 174,622 wounded since October 2023, after 160 additional deaths were certified and added to the casualty figures. Of those, more than 1,340 have been killed since the October 2025 Israeli-Hamas ceasefire.