Overview

• Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the Israeli Army to draft designs for a fenced enclave in Rafah to concentrate an initial 600,000 displaced residents from the Mawasi coastal area.
• Palestinians admitted to the zone would undergo mandatory vetting for Hamas affiliation and be prohibited from leaving once inside.
• Construction is slated to begin only if negotiators secure a 60-day truce with hostage-prisoner exchanges in talks involving Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump.
• The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has formally denied involvement and leading UN and international agencies have declined to administer the proposed city.
• The initiative includes encouragement for Gazans to emigrate voluntarily and builds on months of widespread displacement under blockade and military operations.