Israel's ex-PM Ehud Olmert draws Nazi comparison: Netanyahu's Gaza ‘humanitarian city' would be a ‘concentration camp'
Israel's defence ministry has reportedly floated a plan to confine a large portion of Gaza's population to a heavily damaged, tightly controlled zone in the southern part of the Gaza enclave, in Rafah, bordering Egypt. The controversial proposal risks derailing ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
In recent weeks, Israeli officials have briefed journalists and international diplomats on an informal plan to relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians to an area near the Gaza-Egypt border, under Israeli military control.
While the Israeli government has yet to officially confirm or comment on the proposal, the concept of a new encampment in southern Gaza was first introduced by Defence Minister Israel Katz. He reportedly shared the idea with Israeli military correspondents during a briefing, The New York Times reported.
Katz has reportedly directed the Israeli military to begin drafting operational plans for the 'humanitarian city', to be built on the rubble of southern Gaza. The encampment would initially accommodate 600,000 people and ultimately house Gaza's entire population, which exceeds two million.
'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert said bluntly to the Guardian when asked about Katz's proposal.
'If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn't yet happened,' he said, adding that such a move would be 'the inevitable interpretation' of creating a camp for hundreds of thousands of people.
Olmert clarified to the Guardian that he does not currently consider Israel's campaign in Gaza to be ethnic cleansing. He argued that the evacuation of civilians to protect them from conflict is permitted under international law and noted that many Palestinians have returned to areas where Israeli military operations have ended.
However, the former prime minister has been sharply critical of Israel's military conduct and political leadership throughout the Gaza conflict. In May, he told CNN he could no longer defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. 'What is it if not a war crime?' he asked rhetorically, pointing the finger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet members, accusing them of 'committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way'.
Olmert said that after months of inflammatory rhetoric — including statements by ministers calling for Gaza to be 'cleansed' and plans to construct Israeli settlements there — the claim that the 'humanitarian city' is meant to protect Palestinians rings hollow.
'When they build a camp where they [plan to] 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]. It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least,' Olmert said.
The 'humanitarian city' is a proposed Israeli initiative to construct a massive, enclosed zone in southern Gaza, built on the ruins of Rafah. The camp would serve as a settlement for displaced Palestinians, beginning with 600,000 and eventually expanding to the entire population of Gaza — over two million people.
The Israeli government, under Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Katz, claims the initiative aims to offer humanitarian assistance and encourage voluntary emigration. The zone would be monitored by the Israeli military 'from a distance' to ensure security.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office hit back at Olmert's remarks, branding him a 'convicted felon disgracing Israel on CNN.'
'We evacuate civilians. Hamas blocks them. He calls that a war crime?' the statement read, referencing Olmert's 16-month prison sentence for corruption, served before his release in 2017.
Despite the backlash, Olmert — who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009 — doubled down on his criticism, particularly given the gravity of comparing Israeli actions to Nazi-era concentration camps, a comparison rarely made in Israeli political discourse. Yet, Olmert maintained that this was the 'inevitable interpretation' of the current plans.
Yair Lapid, leader of Israel's opposition, also condemned the humanitarian city proposal, accusing Netanyahu of enabling far-right ministers to 'run wild with extreme fantasies just to preserve his coalition.' On social media, Lapid urged a ceasefire and demanded the return of hostages.
Hamas has pointed to Katz's plan as a major roadblock to any renewed ceasefire. In return for releasing around 25 hostages, Hamas demands Israeli troop withdrawals from most of Gaza. However, the proposed encampment would ensure continued Israeli control over a strategic area, undermining Hamas's objectives.
Senior Hamas official Husam Badran denounced the encampment proposal as a 'deliberately obstructive demand' that would hinder already fragile peace talks.
'This would be an isolated city that resembles a ghetto,' Badran said in a text message. 'This is utterly unacceptable, and no Palestinian would agree to this.'
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