Israeli defense minister shares plan to move Palestinians to closed camp
The camp, constructed over the ruins of Rafah and run by unnamed international organizations, would initially house around 600,000 security-screened people but eventually become home for all 2 million residents of Gaza, Katz told a news briefing on Monday.
Katz said the camp's first residents would be from the nearby Mawasi area where large numbers of Palestinians displaced from other parts of Gaza have been living in makeshift tent cities or in the open.
He said that once people entered the camp they would not be allowed to exit back into Gaza and that his longstanding aspiration to encourage Palestinians to "voluntarily emigrate" to other countries should be realized.
The Times of Israel said it was likely that the only organization that would be willing to get involved with the scheme was the embattled U.S.-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, currently under intense scrutiny over hundreds of deaths alleged to have occurred in and around its food distribution hubs in Gaza.
International human rights lawyers and academics said Katz' plan was illegal under international law and a "blueprint for crimes against humanity."
"Katz laid out an operational plan for a crime against humanity. It is nothing less than that. 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.
"While the government still calls the deportation 'voluntary', people in Gaza are under so many coercive measures that no departure from the strip can be seen in legal terms as consensual.
"When you drive someone out of their homeland, that would be a war crime, in the context of a war. If it's done on a massive scale like he plans, it becomes a crime against humanity," Sfard explained.
Amos Goldberg, historian of the Holocaust at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said Katz' plan amounted to displacing people from all across Gaza into "a concentration camp or a transit camp for Palestinians before they expel them."
"It is neither humanitarian nor a city. A city is a place where you have possibilities of work, of earning money, of making connections and freedom of movement. There are hospitals, schools, universities and offices. This is not what they have in mind. It will not be a livable place, just as the 'safe areas' are unlivable now."
Goldberg also questioned what would happen in the event that Palestinians declined to move to the camp or mounted a determined resistance.
There were also concerns that Katz' plan creates a vacuum that would make possible Israeli settlement of the strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently stated that he is not in favor of allowing in settlers, but his government is propped up by far-right ministers in his cabinet who are pushing for exactly that.
In February, Katz unveiled plans to allow Gaza residents the right to resettle in any country that will accept them, following on from U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take control of Gaza, relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries and redevelop the strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Katz' proposal came soon after Netanyahu arrived in Washington for talks with Trump. Over dinner in the White House, the pair said they were hopeful of success in the current round of negotiations with Hamas for a cease-fire in return for the release of hostages still being held in Gaza.
Trump has proposed a 60-day halt in hostilities in exchange for the return of 10 live Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 others who are deceased.
Hamas has countered with amendments that seek U.S. guarantees of no resumption of military action at the end of the 60-day cease-fire and responsibility for humanitarian assistance operations to be returned to the United Nations and international aid NGOs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
When Will Gaza Ceasefire Talks Become Action?
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the path forward for a Gaza ceasefire. While key disagreements remain between Israel and Hamas, the proposed 60-day truce reportedly includes the freeing of 10 Israeli hostages, the return of 18 bodies, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Now, Americans wait to see if the talks have made progress toward peace. First, Bret speaks with retired 4-star General and FOX News Senior Strategic Analyst General Jack Keane on America's broader role in the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, and U.S.-Iran relations. Then, for further analysis, Bret brings in his All-Star Panel, Founding Editor of 'The Washington Free Beacon' Matthew Continetti, 'POLITICO' White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns, and FOX News Radio Political Analyst Josh Kraushaar. Follow Bret on X: @BretBaier
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
For Israel, It Pays to Be a Winner
A core misconception about Israel's policy since Oct. 7 is that the country has favored military action at the expense of diplomacy. The truth is that it's Israel's decisive battlefield victories that have created diplomatic openings that have been out of reach for decades — and would have remained so if Israel hadn't won. In Beirut on Monday, Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said he was 'unbelievably satisfied' by the response he got from President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon on U.S. proposals to disarm Hezbollah, reportedly in exchange for critical financial aid after a six-year economic crisis. Aoun's government is the first in the country's history to make progress in disarming Hezbollah's strongholds near the Israeli border — a basic condition for Israel to withdraw from five military outposts it still occupies in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is not a group that will go quietly — not if it has any other option. But it's because Israel destroyed it as an effective fighting force last year that it's now possible for the Lebanese state to again possess the most basic form of sovereignty, a monopoly on the use of force within its borders. And it's only because of Israel's victory that there's a realistic prospect of a peace agreement between Jerusalem and Beirut as part of an expanded Abraham Accords. There's a similarly hopeful story in Syria, where last week the Trump administration lifted sanctions on the government of President Ahmed al-Shara. The United States has been a step ahead of Israel in warming to al-Shara, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda and whom some Israeli leaders still see as a closet jihadist. Now there are reports of talks between Jerusalem and Damascus aiming at a de facto peace agreement. Where that goes remains to be seen. But it's unlikely that al-Shara's insurgents could have come to power if Israel hadn't first destroyed Hezbollah, depriving the regime of Bashar al-Assad of one of its most effective military arms. And neither Jerusalem nor Damascus might have been amenable to talks if Israel hadn't first destroyed many of Syria's remaining weapon stockpiles in December, giving al-Shara an incentive to seek a diplomatic outcome and Israel confidence that it wouldn't face another menace to its north. Then there's Gaza. After President Trump's White House dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday, Israeli officials suggested they were close to a deal that would pause the fighting in exchange for Hamas's release of more hostages. Trump has speculated that an agreement could happen this week. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israeli strike kills at least three people in northern Lebanon
An Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least three people and injured 13 others, Lebanon's Health Ministry says, in the latest breach of a ceasefire between the two countries. The attack in the Ayrounieh area on Tuesday came as Israel intensifies its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah's weakened position, the Lebanese army's inability to fight back and the international community's failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce. The strike near Lebanon's northernmost major city – more than 180km (110 miles) from the Israeli border – highlights Israel's willingness to launch assaults across the country, not just in the south. The Israeli military claimed that it struck a 'key' figure from the Palestinian group Hamas without identifying the target. A Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon's Annahar newspaper reported that initial reports indicated that the assassination attempt might have failed. Hamas and other Palestinian groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in refugee camps that have housed Palestinians for decades. Tripoli is home to the large Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has carried out attacks against the Lebanese group Hezbollah and members of Palestinian factions in deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024. While the ceasefire last year ended the conflict, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks have also targeted homes, municipal workers and civilian infrastructure. On Monday, at least one person was killed in a suspected Israeli air attack on a van in the town of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon. The recent attacks were launched as United States envoy Thomas Barrack was in Lebanon for a two-day visit to discuss disarming Hezbollah. On Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Barrack told reporters he was 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon's reply to a US proposal on taking away Hezbollah's weapons. Barrack, a longtime adviser to US President Donald Trump who also serves as US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said he believed 'the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon'. 'Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities and a road to peace,' he said. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem ruled out giving up the group's weapons before Israel withdraws from the areas it still occupies in southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire.
