Israeli survey shows 80% of Gazans interested in leaving the Gaza Strip – report

A new Israeli survey shows that the vast majority of people in the Gaza Strip are interested in emigrating from the devastated enclave, according to findings by Israel’s COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) seen by The Jerusalem Post and i24 News.

It is unclear how or when the survey was conducted, and how many people participated in it.

The question of whether Gazans should be allowed to emigrate has been highly controversial throughout the war, with Israel being accused of seeking to ethnically cleanse the enclave, while Egypt has kept its own border firmly closed.

According to the new findings by COGAT that were shared with the media outlets by Israeli officials, around 80% of Gazans expressed interest in receiving information about how to travel to a third country through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, indicating they would want to emigrate.

The survey generally asked about which issues they want to receive “additional information” for the Palestinian public.

Another 17.5% of respondents said they would want more information about food supplies and humanitarian aid, while 2.5% expressed interest in medical humanitarian issues.

This appeared to confirm Israeli statements regarding the situation of food and medical supplies in the Gaza Strip. Responding to the latest Gaza flotilla on Monday, the foreign ministry had said that the enclave is “flooded with aid.”

According to COGAT, which coordinates activities in the area, some 600 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip daily over the past week.

“On Thursday alone, 10 trucks of medicine and medical gear entered via the WHO. In total, over 440 tons of medical equipment crossed into Gaza last week,” the agency said.

In addition, COGAT noted that “roughly 130 Gazans with visas were evacuated via Kerem Shalom to Jordan. Via the Rafah crossing, approx. 2,600 Gazans exited and approx. 2,500 entered.”

According to the Israeli officials cited by the Post, the survey’s findings are being interpreted as showing that most of Gaza’s population is seeking a way out, rather than waiting for progress in the reconstruction of the enclave, which has been stuck due to Hamas’ refusal to lay down its weapons.

They also said that some officials believe the true number of Gazans wanting to leave is even higher. “It is possible that some respondents did not fully understand the question or may have been reluctant to express their views openly,” an Israeli security official said.

Israeli right-wing leaders have repeatedly floated the idea of encouraging Gazans to leave the enclave, some citing security considerations while others called to annex and settle the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion and massacre.

Last March, the Israeli security cabinet approved a suggestion by Defense Minister Israel Katz to establish a directorate tasked with facilitating voluntary emigration from Gaza.

Katz’s office said at the time that the new directorate will work to “prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries.”

However, there have been scant updates about the directorate's success since then.

In April, Gallup International conducted a survey of 532 adult residents of Gaza and found that over half wanted to leave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared to support the goal of encouraging emigration from Gaza following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of his Gaza reconstruction plans.

Last September, he accused the Egyptian government of “imprisoning residents in Gaza who want to leave a war zone against their will.”

“We’re not seeking to expel [Palestinians], but to lock them in? By force? All the human rights warriors – where are you?”

Earlier this year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leading advocate of the emigration idea, called to cancel Trump’s peace plan in favor of unilateral Israeli action, including the opening of “the Rafah crossing with or without Egyptian consent, and to allow Gaza’s residents to leave.”