Israeli Media Report Claims 100 Gaza Residents Will Be Relocated to Indonesia

March 27, 2025 | 03:48 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli media reports that 100 Gaza residents will be flown to Indonesia as part of a pilot program to encourage voluntary migration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. According to Hebrew media cited by the Times of Israel on Wednesday, March 26, the initiative aims to test the feasibility of such relocations.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the program would be overseen by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit within Israel’s Defense Ministry. The report indicated that the Gaza residents involved are likely to work in construction.

The Times of Israel stated that Israel hopes a successful pilot could encourage thousands more Gaza residents to voluntarily relocate to Indonesia, where they might work and potentially settle permanently.

Channel 12 noted that Israel and Indonesia—the world’s largest Muslim-majority country—lack diplomatic relations. As a result, a special communication channel has reportedly been established between Jerusalem and Jakarta to facilitate the program’s development.

“If this trial succeeds, the migration administration established by the government will oversee the program,” Channel 12 reported.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz, who supervises the administration, is said to be considering Brig. Gen. (ret.) Ofer Winter—a controversial former senior military officer favored by the national religious community—to lead the project.

This is not the first time reports have surfaced about relocating Gaza residents to Indonesia. In January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed transferring Gaza residents to Indonesia, a plan rejected by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trump envisioned turning Gaza into the “Middle East Riviera” and sought to compel its residents to leave. After Indonesia’s refusal, he reportedly urged Egypt and Jordan to accept them instead.

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