Former Israeli minister sparks controversy with call for Gaza residents to relocate to 'tent cities'

Former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon in a controversial statement has suggested that residents in Gaza should evacuate their homes and move to the Sinai Desert in Egypt, where temporary tent cities could be set up for them amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Ayalon's comments, made during an interview with Al Jazeera, have ignited a storm of criticism on social media, with many condemning the remarks as a veiled endorsement of "ethnic cleansing."

Speaking on an episode of UpFront that aired on Friday (13 October), Ayalon said, "We told the Gazan people to clear the area temporarily, so we can go and take Hamas out, and then, of course, they can come back."

He proposed relocating Gazans to the Sinai Desert, highlighting the vast space available, and suggested the international community would assist in preparing infrastructure, including tent cities with provisions similar to those for Syrian refugees.

"We don't tell Gazans to go to the beaches or drown themselves … No, God forbid … Go to the Sinai Desert. There is a huge expanse, almost endless space in the Sinai Desert just on the other side of Gaza."

"The idea is for them to leave over to the open areas where we and the international community will prepare infrastructure … tent cities, with food and with water, just like for the refugees of Syria," Ayalon added.

Ayalon insisted that everything in Gaza could be "restored" if there is an "immediate surrender, unconditional surrender of Hamas." However, host Marc Lamont Hill pointed out that this approach appeared to be a "textbook" definition of collective punishment.

On 9 October, Israel declared a comprehensive blockade on the Gaza Strip, including the cessation of fuel and gas deliveries, in response to deadly attacks carried out by Hamas fighters inside Israel.

The reaction to Ayalon's remarks has been strong. Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, stated, "Danny Ayalon is actually advocating for ethnic cleansing in front of the global public, secure in the knowledge that there's little to stop him in terms of international pressure or rebuke."

Some social media users interpreted Ayalon's statements as a plan to repurpose Gaza into settlements while forcing the local population into refugee camps in the desert.

Critics also drew parallels with the historical "Nakba," referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 when Zionist military forces expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

In the ongoing conflict, approximately one million residents of Gaza have been displaced in the first seven days, according to the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees. Humanitarian organisations have described conditions in the besieged enclave as "dire" or "catastrophic."

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 2,329 Palestinians, including 724 children, due to Israeli air attacks. On the Israeli side, over 1,300 people, including 286 soldiers, have been reported killed.