Scenario of permanent displacement of the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip with the involvement of Tony Blair

The Israeli television network Channel 12 reported that the former Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blairhad discussions with Israel regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. After the report was made public, he denied the claims in question, calling them “lies”.

According the Israeli media outlet Channel 12Tony Blair, who left the prime ministership in 2007 and then served as Middle East envoy tasked with establishing Palestinian institutions, was in Israel last week.

Tony Blair reportedly held meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantza member of the war cabinet, about a post-war mediator role with Hamas, Channel 12 reported.

According to the report, it could additionally have intermediary role with moderate Arab states for a “voluntary resettlement” of Gazans.

The Tony Blair Foundation, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Changehe characterized “lies” these claims. They were published “without any contact with Tony Blair and his team”. “No such discussion took place”, it is stated in a related announcement. “Tony Blair did not have such a discussion, as the idea is wrong on principle. Gazans should be able to stay and live in Gaza».

The Palestinian presidency, for its part, rejected “any suspicious attempt” to appoint Tony Blair “or any other person to be in charge of the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza”, denouncing the “reprehensible action”.

“We demand from the British government not to allow interference in the fate and future of the Palestinian people,” the Palestinians say, warning that “Tony Blair is not welcome in the Palestinian Territories.”

On Sunday Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich supports the return of Jewish settlers to the Gaza Strip after the war. Two Israeli far-right ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Giver, they also stated in the last days that Israel should 'encourage' Gaza's estimated 2.4 million Palestinians to leave for other countries.

Hamas, which is in power in the Gaza Strip, strongly condemned these statements. In December the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini had warned against “attempts” to displace Palestinians to Egypt.

The displacement of a population from its land is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions, which form the “heart” of international humanitarian law.

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 22,000 peoplemostly women, children and teenagers, since the war began on October 7, according to the latest tally released by Hamas.

They were launched in retaliation for an unprecedented attack by Islamist militants that killed around 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to the latest official Israeli figures.