Contemporary Israeli figure denounces proposed "humanitarian city" within Gaza, likening it to a "concentration camp."
Israel's plan to establish a "humanitarian city" in southern Gaza, intended to house over 2 million Palestinians, has sparked widespread opposition and legal concerns. The proposed project, led by Defense Minister Israel Katz, aims to create a new zone on the ruins of Rafah where Palestinians would eventually be allowed to emigrate from Gaza.
Critics, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have compared the plan to creating a "concentration camp," citing concerns about forcibly confining a large civilian population to a single enclosed area. Olmert has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government of committing actions that can't be interpreted any other way than ethnic cleansing.
Opposition to the plan extends beyond Israel, with the United Nations, human rights groups, and Israeli opposition leaders all condemning it for amounting to forced transfer and interning of Palestinians. Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights lawyer, states that Katz's plan for the "humanitarian city" amounts to the forcible transfer of a population, which is a war crime.
The Israeli military opposes the plan chiefly because it believes it would undermine diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal currently underway. As a result, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened a tense cabinet meeting where he rejected the original proposal and requested a more realistic, less costly, and faster alternative.
Legal implications of the plan are significant, as forced transfer of a civilian population in an occupied territory is prohibited under international humanitarian law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, unless justified by imperative military reasons. The characterization of the plan as forced transfer raises serious legal and ethical concerns about possible violations of international law and potential accusations of collective punishment.
As of mid-July 2025, the plan is effectively shelved, facing opposition from Israel's own military and government officials, with Netanyahu seeking alternatives. Ehud Olmert has previously criticized the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and Israel's political leadership.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has vowed to implement a plan for the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, but Sfard dismisses the notion that any departure from Gaza could be considered voluntary. Yair Lapid, the head of Israel's opposition, criticizes the plans as an attempt by Netanyahu to let his far-right government partners act on extreme fantasies.
More than 58,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. CNN has reached out to the Prime Minister's Office for comment on Ehud Olmert's statements. The area for the "humanitarian city" would be built on the ruins of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
- The controversial plan proposed by Defense Minister Israel Katz, aimed at emigrating Palestinians from Gaza, has been criticized by various groups, including Israeli opposition leaders, human rights organizations, the United Nations, and even the Israeli military, who view it as a form of forced transfer and potential violation of international humanitarian law.
- As the proposed "humanitarian city" would be located in the Middle East, specifically in the ruined city of Rafah in southern Gaza, the plan has additionally sparked concern and protest globally, with many accusing it of being reminiscent of war-and-conflicts' tragic histories, such as the creation of concentration camps, and raising ethical questions about collective punishment and potential breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
