What's happened
As of mid-July 2025, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has proposed creating a closed 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza to house up to 600,000 displaced Palestinians initially, eventually relocating Gaza's entire population of over 2 million. The plan involves strict security screenings, restricted movement, and encouragement of voluntary emigration. It has drawn widespread condemnation from former Israeli leaders, legal experts, international bodies, and Palestinians, who describe it as a form of ethnic cleansing and a potential war crime.
What's behind the headline?
Strategic and Legal Implications
The proposed 'humanitarian city' in Gaza represents a significant escalation in Israel's approach to the Gaza conflict, blending military objectives with demographic engineering. By concentrating Palestinians into a confined area with restricted movement, Israel aims to isolate Hamas operatives and facilitate military operations. However, this strategy effectively amounts to forced displacement and confinement, raising serious legal and ethical concerns.
Legal Challenges and International Response
Israeli legal experts warn the plan violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute, constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity. The forcible transfer and confinement of civilians without imperative military necessity breaches international law. The United Nations and human rights organizations have condemned the plan as a form of ethnic cleansing, with some likening it to a concentration camp.
Political Dynamics and Internal Israeli Debate
Within Israel, the plan has sparked controversy. Former Prime Ministers Ehud Olmert and Yair Lapid have publicly criticized it, while military leadership, including IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, reportedly find it impractical and costly. Prime Minister Netanyahu demands a faster, cheaper implementation, reflecting political pressures to demonstrate progress in the conflict.
Humanitarian and Regional Consequences
The plan's feasibility is questionable given the devastated infrastructure in Rafah and the logistical challenges of housing millions in a confined zone. Palestinians and neighboring Arab states reject forced displacement, fearing a 'second Nakba.' The proposal risks exacerbating humanitarian crises, destabilizing regional relations, and undermining ceasefire negotiations.
Forecast
The 'humanitarian city' plan will likely deepen international condemnation of Israel, complicate ceasefire efforts, and intensify Palestinian resistance. Its implementation could entrench Gaza's isolation and prolong conflict, while legal challenges may increase pressure on Israel in international forums. The plan underscores the urgent need for a political solution addressing both security and human rights concerns.
What the papers say
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz outlined the plan to establish a 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza, initially housing 600,000 displaced Palestinians, with eventual relocation of the entire Gaza population, as reported by Al Jazeera's Zaheena Rasheed. Katz emphasized security screenings to exclude Hamas operatives and restricted movement, with the Israeli military securing the perimeter from a distance.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned the plan as a 'concentration camp,' warning it signals ethnic cleansing, according to The Independent and The Times of Israel. Legal experts, including 16 Israeli scholars, have cautioned that the plan violates international law, potentially constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity, as detailed by The Times of Israel.
The United Nations and UNRWA have expressed firm opposition, with UN officials describing the proposal as creating 'massive concentration camps' and a 'second Nakba,' per Al Jazeera. Amnesty International has warned that forced relocation or deportation would amount to war crimes.
Israeli military leadership reportedly criticized the plan's feasibility and cost, with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir calling it 'unworkable,' as reported by The Times of Israel and The New Arab. Prime Minister Netanyahu has demanded a more practical and less costly proposal, reflecting internal government tensions.
The New Arab highlights Palestinian voices describing the plan as a continuation of decades-long displacement policies, with residents rejecting forced confinement and emigration. The plan's timing amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Qatar adds complexity to the conflict's resolution prospects.
How we got here
The plan emerged amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with over 1.9 million Palestinians displaced due to Israeli military operations since early 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Katz have pursued strategies to isolate and control Gaza's population, including the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to deliver aid. The proposal follows US President Trump's earlier suggestions about relocating Palestinians and reflects long-standing Israeli settler ambitions to depopulate Gaza.
Go deeper
- What are the legal implications of Israel's humanitarian city plan in Gaza?
- How have Palestinians and international bodies reacted to the Gaza relocation proposal?
- What are the challenges and feasibility concerns regarding the humanitarian city plan?
Common question
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What are the plans and controversies around Israel’s Gaza 'Humanitarian City' proposal?
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More on these topics
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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Ehud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006.
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Gaza most commonly refers to:
Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
Gaza may also refer to:
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Israel Katz is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Minister of Finance. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Intelligence and Minister of Forei
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Eyal Zamir is a major general in Israel Defense Forces. He was the Deputy Chief of the General Staff from December 2018 and was replaced by Herzi Halevi in July 2021.
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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Yair Lapid is an Israeli politician and former journalist serving as chairman of the Yesh Atid party and opposition leader in the Knesset. He served as Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014. Before entering politics in 2012, Lapid was an author, TV presen
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.