“The world map will not change if all the people of Gaza disappear. No one will feel your absence, and no one will ask about you.”

The chilling message rained down in the form of leaflets dropped on Gaza by an Israeli drone, as deadly attacks in the north drove thousands of Palestinians south, where safety is far from guaranteed.

The top of the page is plastered with images of Netanyahu and a finger-wagging Trump, who appears to be reading the threat-laden warning below aloud himself.

“You have been left alone to face your inevitable fate,” the leaflet reads.

“Neither America nor Europe cares about Gaza, and not even your Arab countries, which are now our allies, providing us with money, oil, and weapons while sending you only shrouds for your dead.”

The leaflet, although denied by Israel, is a copy of similar messages that came before – at least since February, the month Trump unveiled his controversial plan for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Palestinian enclave. 

It includes a final call to those willing to assist the Israeli government as Trump’s plan to uproot Gaza’s population moves forward – “which will impose forced displacement upon you, whether you accept it or not.”

“In return, you must agree to cooperate with us, and we will not hesitate for a moment to provide help.”

“Voluntary departure” from a genocidal war

The timing of the cooperate-or-die threats, whether delivered through leaflets or imposed by deadly air strikes or both, coincides with the announcement of a dubious new agency by Israeli authorities.

On March 22, 2025, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the establishment of a directorate within the Defense Ministry to enable what it termed the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from Gaza to third countries. 

The directorate claims it will cater to those who “express interest” in leaving voluntarily, promising to prepare for their “safe and controlled passage”.

The announcement comes amid a blockade on aid, ongoing air strikes, and worsening humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave, where the death toll has topped 50,000 since October 7, 2023. Israel’s violation of a fragile ceasefire has only worsened the situation.

The move drew significant condemnation, with Jordan describing it as “the forcible displacement of Palestinians from their occupied land,” Egypt dismissing it as “baseless,” and human rights organisations voicing strong opposition.

“The first decision, to establish an administration tasked with enabling Palestinians to ‘voluntarily’ leave Gaza, is an indelible stain on Israel,” Peace Now, an Israeli group, wrote on X.

“When life in a certain place is made impossible by bombing and siege, there is nothing “voluntary” about people leaving.”

Not an unprecedented strategy

This is not the first time Israel has attempted to legitimise the forced displacement of Palestinians through the manipulation of legal language.

In fact, the strategy has its roots in the year 1948, when Israel was created, which also saw Palestinians have threat-laden leaflets dropped onto their heads to drive their displacement. 

At the time, in what came to be known as the Nakba, 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes, leaving behind the land where they made up nearly two-thirds of the population.

Subsequent legal frameworks, such as the 1950 Absentee Property Law, redefined these refugees as “absentees” who had ostensibly chosen to leave, thereby stripping them of their right to return.​

Israel presented this as a lawful response to war and abandonment, arguing that absentees forfeited rights by leaving.

The 750,000 Palestinians expelled during the Nakba became stateless refugees, forming the basis of today’s Palestinian refugee crisis, with millions now living in UNRWA camps across the Middle East.

Manufacturing “legitimacy”

The unveiling of the “Voluntary departure agency” comes in the wake of Trump’s Gaza Riviera Plan, a dystopian blueprint to transform the bombed-out Palestinian enclave into a luxurious coastal resort once its indigenous population is forcibly removed.

Revealed in February 2025, Trump’s plan proposes the permanent resettlement of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians to neighbouring countries while the US assumes control over so-called redevelopment efforts.

This comes as Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which recognises forced displacement, starvation, and denial of basic necessities as genocidal tactics when used with intent to destroy a population.