The relocation of Palestinians from Gaza is regularly raised by Israel in the wake of the outlandish Trump’s Riviera Plan. The US President proposed in February 2025 a dystopian project to resettle Palestinians in neighboring countries and transform the enclave into a luxurious coastal resort. A month later, Israel’s Security Cabinet established a new agency within the Defense Ministry to “enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries.” This prompted the condemnation of many countries and a warning from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, that “it is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
While being politically appealing, the reference to ethnic cleansing may raise more questions than answers from a legal angle, given the controversies surrounding this term. A more straightforward normative frame lies in the prohibition of forcible transfer under international humanitarian law (IHL), as grounded in customary law and reaffirmed in the universally ratified Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
