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Jerusalem, 9 July 2025 – Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has directed the military to develop a plan to relocate the entire Palestinian population of Gaza to a proposed “humanitarian city” in Rafah, according to Israeli media reports. The initiative, which would initially house 600,000 people and eventually accommodate all 2.1 million Gazans, has drawn sharp criticism, with human rights advocates labelling it a potential crime against humanity.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Katz outlined plans for the camp, to be built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza. He stated that individuals would undergo security screening to prevent Hamas operatives from entering, and residents would not be permitted to leave. Katz suggested construction could begin during a proposed 60-day ceasefire, currently under negotiation between Israel and Hamas. Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard condemned the proposal, telling *The Guardian* it represents an “operational plan for a crime against humanity” aimed at transferring Gaza’s population to the territory’s southern edge, potentially as a precursor to deportation. The United Nations has previously warned that forced displacement of civilians in occupied territories violates international humanitarian law and could amount to ethnic cleansing. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have not yet commented on the proposal. In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss post-war plans for Gaza. Trump proposed that the US oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and facilitate the voluntary resettlement of its population to other countries. “It’s called free choice,” Netanyahu said, endorsing the idea. “If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.” Trump added that “great cooperation” from neighbouring countries could make this possible. However, in March, Arab states endorsed a $53 billion Egyptian plan to rebuild Gaza while allowing its residents to remain, firmly rejecting any displacement as a “gross violation of international law.” The Palestinian Authority and Hamas supported the Egyptian proposal, but Israel and the US dismissed it as inadequate. The plan has raised fears among Palestinians of a repeat of the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands were displaced during the establishment of Israel. Today, three-quarters of Gaza’s population are descendants of those refugees, with millions more living in the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, according to UN figures. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, has killed over 57,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict has displaced most of Gaza’s population, destroyed over 90% of homes, and devastated healthcare, water, and sanitation systems, leading to severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter. As ceasefire talks continue, pressure is mounting on both Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement that could include hostage releases and a pause in hostilities. However, recent negotiations have yet to yield a breakthrough.
