Give Them a Voice: Many Gazans Desperately Want to Emigrate

Last week, the United States and Israel rejected the Arab League proposal for reconstruction of Gaza. The Arab leaders’ plan was a response to President Trump’s call to facilitate the migration of Gazans to countries of refuge following the devastating war. 

Trump’s proposal has sparked outrage in some quarters and been denigrated as a proposal for “forced displacement” and “ethnic cleansing.” These criticisms, perhaps well-intentioned, are based on the false assumption that Gazans overwhelmingly want to stay where they are.

In reality, most do not: they want to find safe haven elsewhere, just like millions who in recent years fled Syria, Ukraine, and other war-torn lands. 

I know because for the past three years, my organization, the Center for Peace Communications, has engaged innumerable Gazan civilians on the ground and recorded hundreds of face-to-face interviews in order to amplify the voices of people trapped between Hamas’s violent reign and the more recent, destructive war.

Our findings are reflected in polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which reports that even before October 7, when Gazans had a semblance of continuity in daily life, about one-third of Gazans wanted to emigrate. Today, based on our continual, direct engagement with Gazans, we assess that this contingent is now a majority of the population. 

If Gazans have the opportunity to leave the coastal strip, we anticipate a deluge of humanity akin to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Gazans are no different from people throughout history who have longed to escape authoritarianism and war. 

As video testimony we are releasing this week shows, Gazans hoping to emigrate cite a yearning for opportunity, stability, and relief from both the horror of war and the crippling corruption and brutality Hamas has imposed for a generation. 

The children want playgrounds. Young people want to go to college and learn. Seniors want to live without fear of spending their fragile years in tents and rubble. 

Some note that their right to migrate is guaranteed under Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and urge that the issue “not be mixed up with political squabbles.” Others share anxiety that Trump will “back down on the idea” of voluntary migration.

Those who deny their aspirations are erasing the cries of over a million people. The status quo serves only the interests of Hamas, which has resorted to intimidation and murder to prevent Gazans from moving anywhere, for years.

Early in the current war, Hamas terrorists shot Gazans attempting to flee southward to escape fighting in the north. Now, after President Trump’s remarks, Hamas fighters are threatening to kill any Gazan who would emigrate. Thus the real “force” being brought to bear is not forced displacement; it’s forced imprisonment in a war zone by Hamas, so the population continues serving as human shields. 

Since the present war began, over 100,000 Gazans have already migrated across the Egyptian border by paying that government a bribe of $5,000 each. For years before the October 7 attacks, many young Gazans seeking freedom turned to criminal smuggling organizations, or tried to flee the Strip by sea — a dangerous journey often ending in death. 

In 2022, thousands of Gazans gathered for the funerals of eight young men who had drowned off the coast of Tunisia. These funerals developed into spontaneous protests against Hamas’s tyranny. 

As our video testimony also shows, Gazans cite reasonable concerns about migration. Many more would move to Europe than “to a land of famine, like Somalia,” as one put it. Fewer would leave without an assurance that they can return to Gaza after reconstruction and Hamas’s defeat. Among potential destinations, in addition to Egypt and Jordan, many feel that Turkey and Qatar owe it to Gazans to take them in, citing both countries’ responsibility for their suffering having long supported Hamas.

In sum, the President’s suggestion of resettlement resonates with most Gazans as a practical, interim remedy for their plight. It also challenges outsiders to choose between the cause of alleviating Palestinian misery and Hamas’s barbaric ideal of a “cause” that sacrifices Palestinian lives to maintain power. 

Helping these people means rejecting their use as pawns by rogue states and their proxies — and listening to what the many who do not belong to armed groups actually want and need.

Joseph Braude is the founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications.

This article was originally published by RealClearWorld and made available via RealClearWire.