The blueprint outlined by Israel’s defence minister — to force Palestinians from Gaza into a closed-off compound on the ruins of Rafah, which Israel calls a ‘humanitarian city’ — has been described by human rights activists, legal experts, and academics, including those in Israel, as a plan for ethnic cleansing and a blueprint for crimes against humanity.
Under the plan, Israeli forces would move 600,000 Palestinians, mostly those already displaced to the al-Mawasi region, into a militarized camp to be built on the rubble of Rafah, where they would undergo security screening and be prohibited from leaving once inside. Israeli authorities intend to ultimately house the entire population of Gaza within this fenced compound while pursuing efforts to facilitate their emigration abroad, which officials have said will “happen”, The Guardian reported.
The proposal, revealed ahead of high-level meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US President Donald Trump in Washington DC, appears to build on earlier American suggestions encouraging large-scale displacement from Gaza. While Israeli officials continue to label such movement as voluntary, legal scholars have argued that the coercive environment in Gaza renders any departure involuntary and, therefore, illegal under international law.
Critics of the plan, including prominent human rights lawyers and Holocaust scholars in Israel, have warned that the scheme bears the hallmarks of a crime against humanity, particularly as it involves mass forced transfer of a civilian population in a war setting.
They have dismissed the notion of a “humanitarian city” as misleading, arguing that the proposed camp lacks the characteristics of a livable environment and more closely resembles a detention or transit facility designed to facilitate permanent expulsion.
The announcement of the plan also contradicted earlier denials from Israel’s military leadership, which had claimed that the displacement of civilians was solely for their protection and that there were no intentions to concentrate the population in one area or remove them from the Gaza Strip.
The new strategy suggests a coordinated effort to isolate and eventually expel the Palestinian population, raising alarm among international legal observers.
While Netanyahu has continued to promote the plan alongside Trump administration allies, Israeli officials have also been actively seeking third countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza.
The plan’s international dimensions came into focus as reports surfaced of a $2 billion proposal discussed with the Trump administration involving the establishment of “humanitarian transit areas” both inside and outside Gaza, although the organisation named in connection with it has denied submitting any such proposal.
The idea of forcibly concentrating Palestinians in one location also raises concerns about the fate of those who refuse to comply, with observers warning of the potential for unrest or violent crackdowns should people resist relocation. Historians have drawn parallels between the plan and historical instances of forced population transfer, stating that the move sets a dangerous precedent.