Gaza, MINA – An Israeli government plan to establish a so-called “humanitarian city” for Palestinians in southern Gaza has collapsed amid strong opposition from the Israeli military and fierce international condemnation, Israeli media reported Monday, citing Anadolu agency.
The controversial plan, announced last week by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, proposed relocating Gaza’s entire population into a new closed zone built on the ruins of Rafah. Once inside, residents would reportedly not be permitted to leave.
The proposal drew global outrage, with the UN and human rights organizations condemning it as inhumane and tantamount to forced population transfer.
Israeli opposition leaders also criticized the plan, which was estimated to cost $4 billion, warning that it would effectively turn the area into a “concentration camp” for Palestinians.
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According to reports, the Israeli military objected to the plan, arguing it would jeopardize ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian factions.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that during a tense cabinet meeting on Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “discarded” the plan.
“I asked for a realistic plan,” Netanyahu reportedly told Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, urging the preparation of a “cheaper and faster alternative” by Tuesday.
During the meeting, Zamir reportedly clashed with Netanyahu and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, warning that the proposal could undermine the military’s core objectives in Gaza.
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The army argued that constructing the proposed city would take several months to a year and expressed concern that Hamas might see it as a sign Israel intended to pursue only a partial deal before resuming military operations.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also voiced strong objections, questioning the plan’s feasibility and humanitarian implications.
“Will its residents be allowed to leave? If not, how will they be stopped? Will there be a fence? An electric fence? How many soldiers will guard it?” Lapid asked during a faction meeting, according to the Times of Israel.
He also raised logistical questions: “What will soldiers do if children try to leave? Who will provide food, water, and electricity? And most importantly for Israeli citizens: How much will this cost us?”
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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the plan to the Guardian as “a concentration camp,” amounting to ethnic cleansing.
“It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,” Olmert said. “If they [Palestinians] are deported into this new ‘humanitarian city,’ then you can say it is part of ethnic cleansing. It hasn’t yet happened.”
He noted, however, that Israel’s current military campaign did not constitute ethnic cleansing in his view, as evacuations aimed to protect civilians from conflict were legal under international law.
Last week, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the plan a “second Nakba,” referencing the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948.
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“This would effectively create massive concentration camps at the border with Egypt for Palestinians, displaced repeatedly across generations,” Lazzarini said on X.
He warned it would also strip Palestinians of any prospects for a future in their homeland. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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