10,500 Palestinians left Gaza since 2025 ceasefire, most for medical treatment

Approximately 10,500 residents have left the Gaza Strip since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, according to new data obtained by the news outlet Zman Israel.

The figure represents less than 0.5% of Gaza’s population numbering more than two million. The large majority of those who left did so for medical treatment. According to figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO), some 3,015 Gazans traveled abroad for medical care, accompanied by 5,220 relatives or caregivers. Together, the 8,235 people account for nearly 80% of the 10,500 departures.

At the same time, some 6,000 Gazans returned to the Strip during the same period.

The data indicates that most departures since the ceasefire were linked to medical treatment, rather than permanent emigration. The figures come amid ongoing accusations that Israel seeks to encourage or force Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who inaugurated Israel’s new embassy in Slovenia on Wednesday, rejected claims that Israel seeks to force Palestinians to leave the homes in Gaza.

“We are not planning to expel or to deport anyone from Gaza,” Sa’ar said. He clarified that the Israeli government did not oppose voluntary emigration from Gaza.

“If someone wants to immigrate from his own will and there is a country which is ready to accept him – as it happens from any conflict area in the world – we will not oppose that,” he added, “but we will not force anyone against his will.”

Most Arab states and the European Union have opposed large-scale emigration from the Gaza Strip. At the same time, surveys have indicated that some Gazans are interested in leaving the enclave amid the widespread destruction caused by nearly three years of war between the Hamas terrorist organization and Israel.

An Israeli survey published in May indicated that 80% of Gazans expressed interest in leaving the Strip. Other surveys have also found significant interest in emigration. While Israeli officials have said they do not intend to remove Gazans forcibly, some senior ministers have argued that voluntary emigration should be part of a long-term solution for the Strip.

Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration.” Katz said Israel was prepared to assist Gazans who wanted to leave “by sea, by air, by every way possible,” provided that other countries were willing to accept them.

Last week, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir presented a plan to advance voluntary emigration of 250,000 Gazans in the first year. The proposal calls for 250,000 Gazans to leave in the first year, increasing to 1.11 million within three years and approximately 1.86 million within seven years.

Ben Gvir’s proposal calls for establishing an Israeli Emigration Ministry to coordinate with potential host countries and raise funds for travel, employment assistance and housing for Gazans who choose to leave.

“This is a free choice; we are not forcing anyone to leave, but there is encouragement for this,” Ben Gvir said in an official statement. “Instead of digging tunnels, it is time to pack suitcases. Instead of working in terrorism, it is time to find work abroad and build new lives.”

However, no country has agreed to accept large numbers of Gazans, with Egypt and Jordan rejecting an earlier proposal initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump.