UK 'firmly rejects any suggestion of the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza'

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - Britain "firmly rejects any suggestion of the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza," a statement from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Wednesday.

"Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state," it said, adding that it rejects suggestion from Israeli ministers who voiced for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.

"We share the concerns of our allies and partners that Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza," the FCDO added.

The statement came after comments by hardline Israeli officials including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for "voluntary evacuation" of Palestinians from Gaza and urged various countries to take them in.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 22,185 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,035 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.​​​​​​​

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.