ANKARA

Kuwait strongly condemned on Tuesday an Israeli move to create an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry also decried an Israeli government decision last week to legalize 13 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.

“These steps represent a continuation of the policies of forced displacement and brazen violations of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, particularly resolution 2334, which rejects Israeli settlement activities and condemns attempts to change the demographic nature of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem,” it said.

The ministry called on the international community "to assume its legal and humanitarian responsibilities to deter the occupation authorities from its assaults against the Palestinian people."

On Saturday, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the formation of a directorate to encourage what it called the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the new agency will work to “prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries.”

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

The Israeli army has launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip since March 18, killing at least 730 people and injuring nearly 1,200 others despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.