A Palestinian boy searches for things to rescue at a garbage waste dump in the al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 7, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that he had instructed the Israeli army to prepare plans for a "humanitarian city" on the ruins of Rafah, in southern Gaza, which would eventually house the entire population of the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reports.
Katz said he envisions initially moving 600,000 Palestinians – primarily from the al-Muwasi area – into the new zone after security screening. Once inside, no one would be allowed to leave. The defense minister added that, if conditions permitted, construction of the city would begin during the 60-day cease-fire currently under negotiation in Doha.
In the proposed Israeli plan, the Israeli army would "secure" the perimeter, but would not run the site or distribute aid there. According to Katz, Israel is seeking international partners to manage the zone. The plan is being coordinated by the Defense Ministry's Director General and Former Deputy Israeli army Chief of Staff Amir Baram.
It's not clear whether Katz was referring to the city of Rafah or the governorate of the same name. Both are in Gaza's southern most region, with the city itself pressed up against the Israeli-controlled border with Egypt. Gaza's population is estimated at around 2.1 million people, although recent studies have suggested Israel has killed around 100,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, meaning the total population could be closer to two million.
Before the Israel's onslaught on Gaza began, Rafah was home to an estimated 275,000 people, however with several waves of displacement causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee time and again, it's unclear how many remain in the city.
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