Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has revealed plans to establish what officials are calling a “humanitarian city” in Rafah, Gaza, where the government intends to concentrate nearly 2 million Palestinians under armed guard. The initial phase involves relocating 600,000 displaced Palestinians from the Mawasi coastal region to Rafah, located at Gaza’s southernmost point near the Egyptian border.
According to Katz’s announcement, the facility will be secured by IDF forces, with Palestinians subjected to security screening before entry and prevented from leaving. The Netanyahu administration is seeking international organizations to manage internal operations, including aid distribution – a task currently overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The plan appears to contradict statements made by the IDF Chief of Staff’s office to Israel’s High Court on the same day. Responding to concerns from reserve soldiers about potential violations of international law regarding forced displacement, military leadership denied any intentions of mass population transfers or concentration within Gaza. However, documents from Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” launched in May indicate “managing and mobilizing the civilian population” as an operational objective.
Katz further emphasized Israel’s intention to facilitate Palestinian emigration from Gaza, though a government official disclosed to Haaretz that approaches to various nations seeking to accept Palestinians have been unsuccessful. Regional governments have reportedly expressed reluctance to participate, fearing domestic opposition to perceived cooperation with forced displacement.
The initiative may face additional challenges in securing
international partners to manage the facility’s interior operations, as humanitarian organizations and foreign governments could view participation as enabling potential war crimes.
During a White House meeting with President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu presented the emigration aspect as voluntary, stating: “If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.” He indicated ongoing cooperation with the U.S. to identify willing host countries.
The concept of consolidating Gaza’s population in Rafah before facilitating their departure has been circulating since October 2023. A Ministry of Intelligence document from October 10, 2023, obtained by +972 Magazine, recommended moving Gaza’s entire population south before transferring them to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich previously outlined the strategy more explicitly at a West Bank settlement conference in May, predicting that Gaza would be “totally destroyed” within months, with citizens concentrated in the south “totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.”
The current humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical, with reports indicating over 600 Palestinian deaths around aid distribution points since late May. IDF whistleblowers have reported the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians during aid distribution efforts.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which currently manages aid distribution under IDF oversight, might potentially assume
responsibility for internal operations of the planned facility, though this would likely intensify existing controversies surrounding the situation.
Critics have noted that the planned facility meets the dictionary definition of a concentration camp, defined as “a place where large numbers of people are detained or confined under armed guard,” though Israeli officials contest this characterization.