The head of the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, visited Washington, D.C., this week to seek the Trump administration's help in moving Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip to three countries that are open to accepting them.

David Barnea, Mossad's director since 2021, told White House special envoy Steve Witkoff that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya expressed an openness to receiving large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza, Axios reported Friday, citing two sources familiar with the issue.

Barnea asked the U.S. to offer incentives to those countries and help Israel convince them, but Witkoff was noncommittal, and it's unknown if the U.S. will actively weigh in on the issue, a source told Axios. The Trump administration previously told Israeli officials that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would need to find countries willing to take in Palestinians, a task Netanyahu then gave to the Mossad.

A senior Israeli official claimed that as part of the understandings with the three countries, the transfer of Palestinians would be "voluntary and not forced," and that Israel would commit to allowing any Palestinian who leaves to return to Gaza at any time, Axios reported. But the idea that such mass departures could be considered "voluntary" under the circumstances has been disputed.

In February, President Donald Trump proposed the U.S. take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it into "the Riviera of the Middle East," in which the "world's people" — including Palestinians — would live. Netanyahu supported the idea, but Trump received pushback from Arab and Western countries, and the idea hasn't gone forward since.

During his visit to the White House last week, Netanyahu reportedly said Israel is working with the U.S. "very closely" to find countries that will agree to take Palestinians from Gaza and said that "we are getting close to finding several countries."

"I think President Trump had a brilliant vision," he said. "It's called free choice. You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be a prison."

A senior Israeli official told reporters that Trump has shown an interest in pushing for the "relocation" of Palestinians from Gaza, according to Axios. The White House didn't comment at the time.

Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment. Netanyahu's office and the foreign ministries of Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.

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