In a statement that brought the issue of Palestinian displacement back into focus, Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi announced that Mogadishu possesses reliable intelligence indicating that Israel is planning to forcibly transfer residents of the Gaza Strip to the secessionist Somaliland region in the north.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Fiqi confirmed that he has “verified information” regarding Israel’s plan to “relocate Palestinians and send them to Somaliland,” describing it as a serious violation of international law.
The minister stressed that such forced displacement would constitute a direct assault on Somalia’s territorial unity, accusing Tel Aviv of exploiting the leadership of the secessionist Somaliland region to advance its objectives.
He also called on Israel to immediately reverse its recognition of the breakaway region, stating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has no legal or legitimate right to grant recognition to an entity within a sovereign state.”
This warning comes as Israel intensifies its diplomatic presence in the secessionist region, including the first-ever visit by its foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to Hargeisa following recognition. These developments have raised fears that Gaza’s besieged population could be turned into hostages of a geopolitical struggle in the Horn of Africa.
Reviving the Displacement Plan
The idea of displacing Palestinians became a serious proposal during the assault on Gaza. US President Donald Trump put forward what he described as a peace plan that included “permanently relocating more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to alternative territories.”
Netanyahu publicly praised what he called the plan’s bold vision and called for its consideration despite widespread international condemnation.
As part of the search for host countries to absorb this mass displacement, senior US and Israeli sources confirmed that secret contacts were conducted with three parties in East Africa: Sudan, Somalia, and the Somaliland region, to explore the possibility of receiving Gaza’s population.
Israeli officials led these back-channel talks in coordination with Trump’s team, offering financial and diplomatic incentives to those countries in exchange for participation in the project.
Israeli ministers did not conceal their intentions. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Israel was working to identify countries willing to receive Palestinians and to establish a large migration department within the Ministry of Defence for this purpose.
Despite these efforts, the idea of deporting Palestinians was met with broad Arab and international rejection and sharp criticism, with many describing it as ethnic cleansing. Instead of displacement, Arab leaders adopted an initiative to rebuild Gaza while keeping its population on their land.
This global rejection pushed the Trump administration itself to step back and officially distance itself from the forced displacement project. Officials stated that any departure of Gaza residents, if it occurred, would be voluntary and temporary.
Israeli media reports later revealed that the plan had effectively been frozen by early 2026, as no country agreed to receive Gaza’s population.
Why Somaliland?
Somaliland represents a clear strategic temptation for Israel due to its unique geographic location and the possibility of isolating Palestinians there without any prospect of return.
On 26 December 2025, Israel officially recognised the region as a purported independent state, becoming the first United Nations member to take such a step.
Tel Aviv justified its decision as not being hostile toward Somalia, but rather as an opportunity for partnership in the region. However, the timing and context of the recognition raised deep suspicions regarding its true motives.
In reality, Somali Information Minister Daud Aweis revealed that reliable intelligence sources confirmed Israel’s recognition was conditional upon Somaliland accepting the resettlement of Gaza’s population on its territory.
Israel hopes to confine hundreds of thousands of Gazans in an unstable area bordered to the north by Djibouti, which hosts French and American military bases, to the south and west by Ethiopia, and to the east by an internationally isolated secessionist authority.
Observers have described this scenario as a blueprint for placing Palestinians in a large prison far from their homeland, where their connection with the outside world and with the rest of Somalia would be subject to strict political and security controls.
The Arab League warned at the United Nations against any measures resulting from this illegitimate recognition, whether aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians or exploiting northern Somalia’s ports to establish military bases.
Pakistan’s representative to the UN also described the Israeli move as extremely concerning, given recent precedents in which Somaliland was proposed as a destination for the deportation of Gaza’s population.
The Secret Behind Israeli Interest
Beyond the proposal to displace Palestinians there, Israel’s interest in the secessionist Somaliland region stems from several key factors.
The region has a coastline stretching approximately 460 miles along the Gulf of Aden near the strategic Bab al Mandab Strait, making it a southern gateway to the Red Sea through which a significant proportion of global maritime trade passes.
This provides a valuable foothold for monitoring one of the world’s most important trade routes and countering threats posed by armed groups in the area.
Tel Aviv has explicitly stated its desire to confront the Iranian backed Houthi movement in Yemen, which has targeted Red Sea shipping and exchanged fire with Israel during the latest assault on Gaza.
In this context, Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi revealed that Israel seeks to establish a military base in Somaliland, exploiting its proximity to Bab al Mandab, the Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea.
Observers believe such a base would grant Israel unprecedented strategic depth in the Horn of Africa and an advanced surveillance line to control regional trade and maritime routes.
As diplomatic pressure mounts on Tel Aviv to abandon displacement plans, attention remains focused on the outcome of Israel’s new manoeuvre in the Horn of Africa, following the failure of previous schemes and the refusal of all states to accept Palestinian relocation.
