Israel facilitated the departure of more than 200 Gaza residents holding dual citizenship or valid visas on Monday, according to COGAT, which manages Israel’s civilian coordination with the Palestinian territories.
COGAT said the group exited Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, traveled through Israel to the Allenby Bridge crossing into Jordan, and continued onward to third countries. It said the departures followed requests submitted by foreign governments and the UN and added that all travelers were approved by Israel’s security establishment before they were allowed to move to ensure that wanted terrorists were not using humanitarian travel as cover. The process, COGAT explained, depends on a third country submitting a request and agreeing to receive those leaving Gaza.
The organization also addressed the winter aid dispute. It rejected claims that recent delivery problems were caused by deliberate Israeli restrictions, pointing instead to severe weather and heavy rains. It cited large quantities of tents, tarpaulins, winter items, and sanitation supplies it says were approved for entry while urging international organizations to coordinate quickly so goods can enter and be distributed.
That is the news. Now comes the policy question: Should Israel expand and formalize this approach?
The answer is yes. This is not expulsion. These are people who already have a legal destination abroad, a second passport, a valid visa, or a verified medical referral. Another country has already agreed, in law, to receive them. In a functioning international system, civilians with lawful travel options should not remain trapped in a combat zone because politics are difficult. Facilitating their exit is what a responsible state does in wartime.
The framework is compatible with Israeli security. It is conditional, vetted, and traceable. Requests come from foreign governments and the UN. Names are screened. Movement happens through controlled crossings. Israel keeps the decision point. Critics who demand humanitarian outcomes while dismissing security realities rarely offer workable alternatives. Here is a workable alternative, and it should be routine, not episodic.
It is strategically smart because it undercuts Hamas’s leverage. Its power does not rest only on rockets and tunnels but also on the exploitation of suffering. When civilians are trapped, desperate, and visible, that misery becomes a narrative weapon aimed at Israel and a recruiting story for extremists. A lawful exit channel reduces that leverage. It does not solve the war, but it removes one tool Hamas uses to manufacture pressure and despair.
It also forces responsibility onto the international community. If foreign governments want more people to leave safely, they must do the unglamorous work: issue visas, arrange onward travel, accept evacuees, and fund logistics.
Israel can facilitate transit. It cannot invent destinations. A process contingent on third-country acceptance is not a loophole; it is the basic architecture of international travel, and it requires other states to act like stakeholders, not commentators.
The same clarity is needed on aid. The argument is too often reduced to trucks per day. What matters is what enters, what clears inspection, and what is distributed to people in need, especially during winter. Storms disrupt logistics.
Distribution can break down. The solution is not to abandon security. The solution is to make the pipeline predictable, transparent, and measurable.
So, what should Israel do next?
Institutionalize the departure channel. Publish clear criteria for eligibility and documentation, and run departures on predictable schedules. Predictability is humane, and it reduces rumor-driven panic.
Treat winter relief as a life-saving category. Create fast-track lanes for shelter, sanitation, and medical necessities, paired with end-use monitoring for sensitive goods. Report on what is approved, what has entered, and what has been distributed, so the public can see where the system is failing and where it is functioning.
Israel should say this plainly: It is at war with Hamas, not with civilians. A state that insists on that distinction must behave like it believes it. Facilitating lawful departures for those with documentation, while maintaining security vetting, is a demonstration of Israeli strength.
In a conflict where lies travel fast, Israel should lean into what it can control: being secure, effective, and humane at the same time. This initiative is a practical way to prove it, and Israel should expand it now.