Chad, the DRC, and Rwanda have all dismissed reports that they have had discussions with Israel on taking in Gaza’s forcibly displaced Palestinians.
The three African countries have dismissed Israeli media reports that they have had discussions with Israel on taking in Palestinians in Gaza who have been forcibly displaced by Tel Aviv’s war on the territory.
Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Chad have all said that they have not had the discussions with Israeli officials that were reported by Israeli media outlets including i24NEWS earlier this week.
In a “disinformation alert”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the Government of Rwanda noted the disinformation published by Zman Yisrael, an Israeli news outlet, alleging talks between Rwanda and Israel on the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza.
“This is completely false. No such discussion has taken place either now or in the past, and the disinformation should be ignored,” read the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chad’s government “categorically denies the allegations broadcasted by the Israeli media, that Chad is considering receiving thousands of Palestinians from Gaza,” an official spokesperson was reported as saying on Saturday.
“Our commitment to the fundamental principles of international law prohibits any agreement to displace individuals from Gaza or participation in such actions, as it would constitute a violation of these rights,” the spokesman reportedly said.
DRC government spokesman Patrick Muyaya was also quoted as saying that the Israeli media claims were false and that there were no plans to take in forcibly displaced Palestinians.
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have been displaced by Israel’s indiscriminate and brutal war, which has so far killed at least 22,700 people.
Some Israeli ministers have called for Gaza to be ethnically cleansed of Palestinians, while others have said the territory will remain under some kind of Palestinian civil control.
Voices in Israel are increasingly open about plans to remove Palestinians from Gaza after almost three months’ bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory.
In November, the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich backed a plan for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians.
US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller took the step of directly calling out the two ministers over their support of the plan.
“The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible,” he said in a statement.
The international community has condemned Israeli proposals to attempt to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza.