Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Monday a plan to “concentrate” the entire population of the Gaza Strip in what he described as a “humanitarian city” to be constructed atop the ruins of Rafah in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip.
According to a report by Israeli daily Haaretz, the first phase of the plan would involve relocating approximately 600,000 Palestinians to the designated area, with the ultimate goal of transferring all 2.3 million residents of Gaza into the same zone.
The announcement coincides with ongoing negotiations for a potential 60-day ceasefire, during which the city “would be built under Israeli military supervision.”
The reports adds that International organizations would be tasked with providing humanitarian services and basic infrastructure, though the Israeli army would not directly manage civilian affairs.
Palestinians moved, aka forced, into the “humanitarian city” would undergo strict security screenings and “would not be permitted to leave once inside,” which effectively means mass imprisonment.
Sources familiar with the plan say the area would be governed through a “hybrid model”: the Israeli military would secure the perimeter, while international agencies would oversee aid distribution and essential services.
The s-called initiative is reportedly part of a broader military and political strategy masked by the aim of “dismantling Hamas’s authority in Gaza.”
It includes the creation of controlled zones and security corridors, such as the Morag Corridor, and a buffer zone along the Egyptian border.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups and international observers, who warn that the so-called “humanitarian city” could amount to mass internment under the guise of aid.
With humanitarian conditions in Gaza continuing to deteriorate and the blockade still in place, several Western capitals have expressed concern over the plan’s implications for regional stability and adherence to international humanitarian law.
The report surfaced after another controversial proposal, to say the least, reviewed by Reuters outlines a $2 billion plan to build large-scale “Humanitarian Transit Areas” in Gaza and potentially beyond its borders.
The plan, attributed to the U.S.-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF), envisions temporary refugee camps where Palestinians would reside, undergo what is described as “deradicalization, reintegrate, and prepare for relocation if they choose.”
Meanwhile, the deepening crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, where ongoing genocide has killed more than 57,418 Palestinians, largely children and women, in addition to wounding at least 136,261, and displaced nearly the Gaza Strip’s entire population of 2,3 Million.
