Israel Seeks To Relocate Gaza Civilians To Rafah

Israel’s defence minister has reportedly directed the military to draw up a strategy for relocating all Palestinians in Gaza into a designated zone in the southern region, specifically Rafah.

According to statements shared with reporters, Israel Katz said the plan involves setting up a “humanitarian city” within the devastated remains of Rafah, beginning with accommodations for approximately 600,000 individuals with the longer-term goal of housing the full population of over 2 million.

He explained that entry into the site would follow a strict vetting process to prevent the infiltration of Hamas members, and once inside, individuals would be restricted from leaving.

Construction of this proposed encampment, he noted, could begin within a proposed 60-day truce window, provided an agreement is reached between Israel and Hamas.

An Israeli lawyer specializing in human rights law strongly criticized the idea, calling it an “operational plan for a crime against humanity”.

“It is all about population transfer to the southern tip of the Gaza Strip in preparation for deportation outside the strip,” Michael Sfard told the Guardian newspaper.

The United Nations, in prior assessments, has made it clear that removing or relocating civilians from an occupied territory without lawful grounds is forbidden under global humanitarian laws and may amount to “ethnic cleansing”.

As of now, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority has offered any public reaction to the proposal.

Later in the day, during discussions at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in on US President Donald Trump’s proposal for Gaza’s future—specifically the idea of permanent resettlement elsewhere, under American supervision.

Netanyahu said: “I think President Trump has a brilliant vision. It’s called free choice. If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave…

“We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realise what they always say – that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future.”

Trump said: “We’ve had great co-operation from… surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So, something good will happen.”

Arab governments previously responded to Trump’s plan with a counterproposal: a $53 billion Egyptian-led initiative to rebuild Gaza without removing its inhabitants. They made clear their strong objection to any plan that involves removing Palestinians, labelling such efforts “a gross violation of international law, a crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing.”

Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority gave their support to the Egyptian framework, but Israeli and American officials claimed it did not reflect the current situation on the ground in Gaza.

Among the greatest fears voiced by Palestinians is the repetition of the Nakba meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic when hundreds of thousands were uprooted from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the founding of the Israeli state.

Many of those expelled during the Nakba resettled in Gaza, and their descendants now comprise the majority of the population there. According to UN records, hundreds of thousands more registered refugees live in the West Bank, and millions more are located in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Israel’s ongoing military operations began in response to the massive October 7, 2023, assault launched by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others.

Since then, over 57,500 people have died in Gaza, based on figures from the health authorities operating under Hamas control.

The humanitarian toll has been devastating. Most residents have been displaced multiple times, and a large majority of homes are believed to be destroyed or severely damaged. Basic services including healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and electricity have largely collapsed. Food, medical supplies, fuel, and shelter remain critically scarce.