Forcibly expelling someone from their homeland constitutes a war crime, and if done on a large scale, as in this plan, it becomes a crime against humanity.
Israeli forces will take control around the site. Approximately 600,000 Palestinians will be relocated to this area, where they will undergo security screening and will not be allowed to leave the camp.
Critics say this plan could amount to forced displacement and the indefinite confinement of people in military-controlled camps, where their freedom and chances of return are uncertain.
Occupied Jerusalem ( Web News )
Israel’s Defense Minister has unveiled a plan to forcibly expel all Palestinians from Gaza and relocate them to a camp built on the ruins of Rafah. According to the Times of Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he has ordered the Israeli military to set up a camp on the rubble of Rafah city, referring to it as a “city of humanitarian compassion.”
In a briefing to Israeli journalists, Katz stated that Palestinians will have to undergo security screening before entering the camp, and once inside, they will not be allowed to leave.
Israeli forces will maintain control around the area, and initially, about 600,000 Palestinians will be moved there — mostly those currently displaced in the Al-Mawasi region.
According to Katz, gradually the entire population of Gaza will be transferred to this camp, as part of what he described as the implementation of a migration plan — a plan that, he insisted, will be carried out.
This announcement comes at a time of widespread international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the massive destruction in Rafah. Critics argue that the plan amounts to forced expulsion and indefinite detention of people under military control, with no clear prospects for freedom or return.
Earlier this year, Donald Trump proposed that a large number of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “clear” the area. Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, enthusiastically embraced the plan for forced expulsion and often presented it as an American initiative.
Prominent Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard said that Katz’s plan is a blatant violation of international law. He added that the plan contradicts a statement issued just hours earlier by the Israeli army chief’s office, which claimed Palestinians were only being relocated within Gaza for their own safety.
Sfard stated that Katz has laid out a practical plan for a crime against humanity. “When you forcibly remove someone from their homeland, it’s a war crime — and if done on a mass scale, as in this plan, it becomes a crime against humanity,” he said.
Katz added that construction on the so-called humanitarian city could begin during a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is seeking countries willing to take in Palestinian refugees.
In a speech at the White House, Netanyahu said that the U.S. and Israel are working with other countries to “offer a better future for Palestinians.” He added, “If people want to stay, they can stay — but if they want to leave, they should be allowed to go.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also been a strong proponent of establishing new Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Michael Sfard represented three reserve soldiers who filed a petition in Israeli court demanding the military revoke its orders to gather and relocate Gaza’s civilian population and to prohibit any plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza.
Holocaust expert and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Amos Goldberg, said that Katz’s new city or camp in Rafah is neither humanitarian nor a real city.
He stated, “A city is a place with jobs, income, opportunities for social connections, and freedom of movement. It has hospitals, schools, universities, and offices — none of which are present in this plan. The place will be uninhabitable.”