The first group of 100 Gazans is set to fly to Indonesia for work as part of a pilot program to encourage the voluntary migration of Palestinians from the Strip, according to a Hebrew media report Wednesday.
The pilot will be run by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who heads the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, a Defense Ministry body known by its acronym COGAT, Channel 12 news reported.
The report added that the Gazans will likely be employed in construction.
Israel hopes that if the pilot program is successful, thousands of Gazans will be encouraged to voluntarily move to Indonesia for work and potentially decide to permanently resettle in the country — which would require Jakarta’s consent, according to Channel 12.
Israel and Indonesia — the world’s largest Muslim country — do not have diplomatic relations, therefore, a special communication channel was opened between Jerusalem and Jakarta to develop the pilot, the report said.
If the pilot is successful, a “migration administration” being established by the government will become responsible for the program, according to the report.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, responsible for the administration, is likely to appoint Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, a controversial senior officer in the military who is beloved by the national religious community, to lead the project.
According to a United Nations analysis from September, over two-thirds of Gaza’s structures have been damaged or destroyed during the war sparked on October 7, 2023, when Hamas rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages.
US President Donald Trump triggered global perplexity in early February by suggesting the US “take over” Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt, Jordan, or other countries.
While senior ministers in the government who have urged using the war as an opportunity to reestablish Israeli settlements in the Strip lauded the plan, the Palestinian Authority and Arab nations rejected it outright.
Earlier this month, two key Arab nations’ organizations instead endorsed an Egyptian counterproposal for rehabilitating Gaza that is based on leaving inhabitants in place, a stipulation that undermines the far-right vision of largely clearing the enclave of Palestinians.
Despite public opposition among the region’s leaders, the government has moved forward with plans to encourage Palestinians to relocate, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing earlier this month the plans to establish the “migration administration” that will oversee the exodus of Palestinian residents.
In January, The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Israel, learned that the coalition was conducting secret contacts for accepting thousands of immigrants from Gaza with Congo, in addition to other nations.