Israel's Defense Minister plans to house the population of Gaza in a "humanitarian city" that he has instructed the military to develop on the ruins of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. This is reported by CNN with reference to Israeli media, reports UNN.
Details
At a briefing for journalists, Israel Katz stated that the zone would initially house about 600,000 displaced Palestinians who were forced to evacuate to the Al-Mawasi area along the coast of southern Gaza.
It is noted that Palestinians entering the zone will be screened to ensure they are not members of Hamas. According to Israel's Defense Minister, they will not be allowed to leave.
Israel Katz emphasized that the entire population of Gaza – over 2 million Palestinians – will be held in this zone.
Katz then promised that Israel would implement a plan, first proposed by US President Donald Trump, to allow Palestinians to emigrate from Gaza to other countries.
According to CNN, Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have strongly supported the emigration plan, despite the fact that no state has expressed willingness to participate in it.
In addition, Katz said that the zone for displaced Palestinians would be managed by international bodies, not the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF will monitor the security of the zone from a distance.
It is unclear which bodies will agree to participate in Katz's plan, especially given that most international organizations refuse to participate in GHF distribution points due to serious concerns about impartiality and the safety of the Palestinian population.
According to health officials in Gaza and the United Nations, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to approach distribution points since they began operating a month ago.
Katz's representative did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
When asked about the plan at a press conference on Tuesday, July 8, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brigadier General Effi Defrin stated that the military would "present several options to the political leadership."
Each option has its consequences. We will act according to the directives of the political leadership.
Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights lawyer, said that Katz's plan amounts to forced displacement of the population in preparation for deportation. Both of these crimes are war crimes, Sfard told CNN.
If this is done on a massive scale - to entire communities - it could amount to war crimes.
"There is no voluntary departure. There is no voluntary departure. People will flee Gaza because Israel is intensifying coercive measures that will make their lives in Gaza impossible. According to international law, to commit the crime of deportation, you don't have to put people in trucks at gunpoint," he concluded.
Qatar, where indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are currently taking place, also rejected the deportation of the Gaza population. "We have clearly stated that we oppose any forced displacement of Palestinians or any displacement of Palestinians outside their lands," said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari on Tuesday, July 8.
Recall
The Israeli negotiating team departed for Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release. At the same time, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister stated that the changes Hamas intends to make to the proposal are "unacceptable to Israel."