Israel has announced the immediate deportation of at least 25,000 African migrants after the Eritrean violent clash in Tel Aviv, which left dozens of persons injured. 

Eritrea has one of the world’s worst human rights records, and migrants in Israel and elsewhere said they feared death if they were to return.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced the decision on Sunday, also ordered a plan to evacuate all African migrants in the country following the bloody protest by rival groups of Eritreans in south Tel Aviv. 

“We want harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those who took part,” Mr Netanyahu said in a special ministerial meeting to deal with the aftermath of the violence.

Mr Netanyahu, however, requested the ministers present him with plans “for the removal of all the other illegal infiltrators.” 

Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk.

Ahead of an official visit to Cyprus, Mr Netanyahu said the ministerial team was seeking to deport 1,000 supporters of the Eritrean government involved in the violence.

“They have no claim to refugee status. They support this regime,” Mr Netanyahu said. “If they support the regime so much, they would do well to return to their country of origin.”

African migrants living in Israel, about 25,000 mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, allegedly claimed they fled their country due to conflict or repression. 

Israel had tried a variety of tactics to force the migrants out, including sending some to a remote prison, holding part of their wages until they agreed to leave the country or offering cash payments to those who agreed to move to another country, somewhere in Africa. 

Some critics had accused the Israeli government of trying to coerce the migrants into leaving. However, many claimed migrants had brought crime to the low-income southern Tel Aviv neighbourhoods where they have settled.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, visited the site of the unrest and demanded that those who broke the law be detained until they are deported.

“They don’t need to be here. It’s not their place,” Mr Ben-Gvir said. 

Saturday’s clashes came as Eritrean government supporters marked the 30th anniversary of the current ruler’s rise to power, an event held near the Eritrean embassy in south Tel Aviv.

Similar protests involving rival Eritrean groups had also been popping up in other countries.