Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israel has said it does not currently intend to resettle residents of the Gaza Strip in Somaliland, while stopping short of categorically ruling out such a scenario, reigniting controversy over proposals that have drawn widespread regional and international condemnation.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Thursday that relocating Gaza’s population to Somaliland was not part of any agreement between Israel and the self-declared breakaway region. Speaking in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 following a visit to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, Sa’ar emphasized that agreements signed last month do not address the resettlement of Gaza’s residents.
“Resettling Gaza’s population is not part of our agreement with Somaliland,” Sa’ar said, according to the broadcaster. However, he added that Israel could not entirely exclude the possibility that Somaliland might agree to accept residents from Gaza, a statement that has fueled renewed speculation over the fate of Palestinians displaced by the war.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as a sovereign state in December, a move that drew sharp criticism from Somalia and several regional actors, who view the territory as an integral part of the Somali state. The recognition intensified speculation that Somaliland could be considered as a destination for displaced Palestinians from Gaza, particularly amid ongoing Israeli military operations and humanitarian devastation in the enclave.
Earlier this week, Somaliland authorities publicly denied having agreed to receive any displaced Palestinians from Gaza, seeking to distance themselves from reports suggesting coordination on such plans. The denials come as earlier proposals, promoted by both Israel and the United States, to relocate Gaza’s population have largely stalled.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had floated the idea of resettling Gaza’s population in February last year, has gradually withdrawn explicit support for the plan following strong international backlash. Arab states, European governments, and international organizations rejected the proposal outright, warning that any forced displacement would violate international law and amount to ethnic cleansing.
Despite the retreat from formal policy, the idea has not fully disappeared from political discourse. When asked about the proposal last week, Trump suggested that many Gaza residents would leave if given the opportunity. “Let’s see if the opportunity arises,” he said, speculating that more than half of Gaza’s population would depart if circumstances allowed.
Palestinian officials and human rights groups have consistently rejected such assertions, insisting that displacement under conditions of war and siege cannot be described as voluntary. They argue that proposals for resettlement outside Gaza undermine Palestinians’ right to remain on their land and threaten to permanently alter the demographic and political future of the territory.
The renewed discussion around Somaliland underscores the continued uncertainty surrounding post-war scenarios for Gaza, as diplomatic signals from Israel and the United States remain ambiguous, even as international pressure mounts to prevent forced displacement and to pursue a political solution rooted in Palestinian self-determination.
