Overview

• Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on July 9 the creation of a ‘humanitarian city’ on Rafah’s ruins to host an initial 600,000 Palestinians displaced from al-Mawasi.
• All residents will undergo security screenings to exclude Hamas affiliates and will be prohibited from leaving the enclave once admitted.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have endorsed the plan as a framework for ‘voluntary migration’ toward safer zones outside northern Gaza.
• Palestinian authorities and several regional governments have rejected the initiative, and Holocaust historian Amos Goldberg has likened it to ethnic cleansing.
• The government has not specified construction schedules or which international organizations would manage the enclave.