A 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.”
The plan, dated after February 11, 2024, includes detailed slides describing eight refugee camps, each capable of housing thousands of displaced Palestinians.
The first refugee camp was projected to accommodate 2,160 people and include basic infrastructure such as sanitation, laundry, and schools.
Maps attached to the proposal point to possible sites outside of the Gaza Strip, namely Egypt, Cyprus, and other unnamed locations.
“UNRWA has thousands of trucks of supplies waiting to get into #Gaza. We have enough food for the entire population for a month – that’s 180 million meals,” UNRWA Sam Rose says.
And it’s not just food – critical medicines, shelter items and basic hygiene supplies.
Let us do our… pic.twitter.com/12C5D7K0Di
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 7, 2025
The concept aligns with remarks made by President Donald Trump on February 4, 2024, when he suggested the U.S. should “take over”, aka occupy Gaza, and rebuild it as the “Riviera of the Middle East” after expelling the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents elsewhere.
The proposal also references GHF’s food distribution efforts in Gaza, launched in May 2024, as a precursor to broader operations.
GHF has denied submitting the plan, stating the slides are “not official documents” and that its focus remains solely on food aid.
SRS, a private contractor associated with GHF, also denied involvement, saying it had no discussions about “transit areas” and is committed to expanding food access. Despite these denials, both organizations’ names appear on the presentation materials.
Humanitarian experts have voiced serious concerns. Jeremy Konyndyk, head of Refugees International and a former USAID official, argued that displacement under such conditions cannot be considered voluntary.
The Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s top consulting firms, played a key role in designing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. How did BCG end up helping build an aid network Palestinians and leading NGOs describe as a ‘death trap’—and why does their involvement matter?… pic.twitter.com/cnL8ZhPf1y
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) July 3, 2025
The United Nations also criticized GHF’s operations as unsafe and in violation of humanitarian neutrality, citing over 600 deaths (killed by Israeli soldiers) near its aid sites.
Financial hurdles have also stalled the plan; GHF reportedly attempted to open a Swiss bank account to raise funds, but institutions like UBS, headquartered in Switzerland, and Goldman Sachs, headquartered in New York City, USA, declined to cooperate.
.@MuntherIsaac , a Palestinian pastor from Bethlehem, challenges Western churches’ response to the war in Gaza. He spoke to @tswyatt https://t.co/1qw8Loo47B
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) April 17, 2025
The U.S.-backed “initiative” also marks a decisive shift in international aid strategy by bypassing the United Nations, most notably UNRWA, the agency traditionally tasked with supporting Palestinian refugees.
|Thousands of Palestinians cut off from water|
For decades, UNRWA has been a cornerstone of humanitarian operations, providing education, health services, and emergency support to millions of Palestinians displaced by the occupation.
However, recent U.S. and Israeli policies has sidelined the agency, reflecting a deliberate move away from multilateral frameworks toward privatized and politically aligned models of intervention.
Following unproven allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in “militant activities,” the United States suspended its financial support to the agency in early 2024 and enacted a prohibition on future funding.
🔴 🇵🇸 Since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (#GHF) was introduced to the #Gaza Strip in May, more than 500 #Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
🇺🇸 🇮🇱 A FRANCE 24 investigation reveals a complex web of actors behind the new aid group. pic.twitter.com/IPk8arr5Uo
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) July 7, 2025
No conclusive evidence was made public, but the decision nonetheless marked a turning point. Rather than working through the established UN system, particularly the only body mandated to serve Palestinian refugees, the U.S. began channeling aid through private contractors and NGOs, including the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.”
This pivot away from UNRWA underscores a broader redefinition of humanitarian engagement in Gaza.
Critics argue that replacing internationally accountable institutions with politically entangled organizations undermines the principles of neutrality and transparency.
In distancing itself from the UN framework, the U.S. is forging a parallel aid infrastructure designed to operate with minimal global oversight, one that aligns with U.S. and Israeli strategic priorities rather than humanitarian consensus.
Aid delivery, under such arrangements, risks becoming a tool not just of assistance but of influence: shaping narratives, relocating populations, and bypassing the procedural safeguards meant to protect displaced communities from exploitation and coercion.
In the case of Gaza, where infrastructure has collapsed and civilian life remains under siege, amidst constant bombing, death and destruction, the erosion of coordinated, internationally mandated relief mechanisms raise pressing ethical questions and leaves behind a dangerous vacuum.
The proposal surfaces amid a deepening crisis in Gaza, 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.
