100 Gaza residents to work in Indonesia in pilot program for voluntary migration

A pilot project, encouraging voluntary emigration from Gaza will launch soon, involving around 100 Gaza residents heading to Indonesia to work in the construction industry there. 

The story, first reported in Chanel 12 news on Wednesday morning, said the project was orchestrated and is being overseen by Major General Ghassan Alian from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The project is being considered a pilot for implementing voluntary emigration from the destroyed enclave. 

According to international law, anyone who leaves the Gaza Strip to work will be allowed to return. However, the general idea is to encourage emigration and long-term stay in Indonesia, which depends on the government in Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population. 

As part of the pilot, Israel engaged in delicate dialogue with the government of Indonesia, despite the lack of official diplomatic relations. As a necessary first step, the two countries had to establish a communication channel to begin discussions. If the initial pilot is successful, control for the program will be handed over to the Migration Directorate established by Defense Minister Israel Katz, which was authorized over the weekend. 

In June 2024, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto expressed a willingness to accept 1,000 Gaza war victims needing medical treatment. 

“We are taking steps to channel assistance to Palestine,” Prabowo said, adding, “Indonesia has announced its readiness to evacuate 1,000 patients for medical treatment in Indonesia. They will be returned to Gaza after recovering, once the situation there stabilizes.” 

The new directorate is tasked with supervising the “safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure,” Katz’s office said in a statement. 

The pilot is also an attempt by the Israeli government to implement the plan of U.S. President Donald Trump, which calls for the evacuation of the Gaza population to other, Muslim countries, and a plan to rebuild Gaza.

According to the Trump administration, the situation in Gaza, with the presence of Hamas terror infrastructure, unexploded ordinance, and the massive destruction, necessitates a 15-year reconstruction effort. 

According to recent reports, around 1,000 people have left Gaza this month, with another 600 expected to leave over the next few days. Most of those who left so far, are individuals needing medical treatment, along with their families. Priority is also being given to those with dual citizenship and/or those with permanent residence in a third country. 

Individuals wishing to leave Gaza are moved to a gathering point a day before their departure. Following a security check by Shin Bet (Israel's Security Agency), they pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing, with a final departure via one of the following routes: the Rafah crossing into Egypt; the Allenby Bridge crossing into Jordan; or flights to a third country through the Ramon Airport.