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Defense Minister Israel Katz

Report: First Group of Gaza Migrants Heads to Indonesia Under Israeli-Led Emigration Program

Roughly 100 Palestinians from Gaza will travel to Indonesia for construction work under a new Israeli pilot program, according to Israeli media, which reported the initiative as the first stage of a larger plan to facilitate voluntary migration from the Hamas-run enclave.

On Wednesday, March 26, Hebrew media revealed that the pilot initiative — coordinated by the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and overseen by Major General Ghassan Alian — is designed to test the feasibility of voluntary Gaza emigration through overseas employment opportunities.

If successful, the program will be transferred to Israel’s newly established Migration Directorate, a unit created within the Defense Ministry by Defense Minister Israel Katz and approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet just days earlier. 

The Directorate is tasked with organizing “safe and controlled passage” for Gazans seeking to relocate abroad, including logistics for land, air, and sea departures. 

According to the report, the 100 workers headed to Indonesia — a Muslim-majority nation with no formal diplomatic ties to Israel — will be employed in the construction sector. Despite the diplomatic gap, cooperation was reached to facilitate the pilot program, marking a quiet milestone in Israel’s regional outreach efforts.

The long-term goal is to enable thousands more Gazans to take advantage of similar employment-based migration opportunities, provided host countries are willing to participate.  (BB/VFI News)