Nearly 36,000 Gazans—close to 2% of the coastal enclave’s population—have left the Gaza Strip since the start of the war triggered by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, Channel 12 News reported Friday. Most of the departing residents have relocated to Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Western European nations, and Romania, according to the report. Approximately 2,000 Gazans were able to exit through Israeli territory, traveling via Ramon Airport near Eilat or the Allenby Crossing into Jordan. The vast majority, however, crossed through Gaza’s Rafah Crossing with Egypt, which reopened briefly on January 31 during a now-expired ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The crossing closed again on March 18 when fighting resumed. Currently, only limited groups are legally permitted to leave Gaza: the sick and wounded seeking medical treatment abroad and their family members, Gazans with dual citizenship, and individuals granted visas to third countries. Nevertheless, numerous Gazans have reportedly paid as much as $10,000 to smugglers with alleged ties to Egyptian intelligence to cross the southern border illegally. A survey published last month by Britain’s Telegraph revealed that more than half of Gaza’s residents—about 1.1 million people—would leave the Strip temporarily or permanently if given the opportunity. Interest was especially high among residents under 34 and those living in heavily damaged areas such as Gaza City and Khan Yunis. On April 1, Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel visited Ramon Airport to observe what officials described as the “voluntary departure process” for Palestinians leaving Gaza. That same day, the Population and Immigration Authority announced that dozens of Gazans were flown to Leipzig, Germany, on a designated flight organized with German diplomatic assistance. The agency said that, to date, hundreds of Gazans have been relocated to Germany, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates under this initiative. Meanwhile, on March 22, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved Defense Minister Yisrael Katz’s proposal to establish a directorate within the Defense Ministry dedicated to facilitating voluntary emigration from Gaza. Katz emphasized that the effort aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of transforming Gaza’s coastline into a real estate development zone while relocating much of the enclave’s population. “We are working with all means to implement the U.S. president’s vision, and we will allow any Gaza resident who wants to move to a third country to do so,” Katz said last month. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)