Israel Katz's Rafah zone: Humanitarian façade for forced displacement
According to Katz, the proposed area would initially accommodate around 600,000 Palestinians currently residing in the al-Mawasi coastal region after being displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.
Entry to the area would follow screening procedures aimed at identifying Hamas Resistance fighters, and movement out of the zone would be restricted, the Israeli minister said.
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Katz claimed that the broader goal is to relocate the entire Palestinian civilian population of the Strip into this zone, while the Israeli occupation forces maintain security control from a distance.
International bodies would be tasked with managing the area, and four new aid distribution centers would be established within it, he added.
In the briefing, Katz reiterated his long-term objective of promoting what he described as the "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from Gaza, stating that such a plan "should be fulfilled."
It remains unclear whether the area would serve as a temporary holding zone, as suggested in a Reuters report earlier in the day, which described so-called "Humanitarian Transit Areas" for Gaza's residents to 'temporarily reside, deradicalize, re-integrate and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so.'
Amir Baram, Director General of the Israeli Security Ministry, has reportedly begun advancing plans for the project.
However, Katz did not name any specific organizations to run the area, and with the exception of the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, few are expected to support a plan involving mass displacement, The Times of Israel noted.
The Israeli news website pointed out that there are increasing concerns that the Israeli occupation intends to establish settlements in areas from which Palestinians are forcibly displaced. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied that this is part of the plan, he remains under pressure from far-right coalition members who actively support such moves, the report highlighted.
Katz also stated that "Israel" aims to retain control of the so-called "Morag Corridor", north of Rafah, as part of a potential prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
During a possible 60-day ceasefire, he said "Israel" would work on establishing the new "humanitarian" zone south of the corridor, claiming that the Israeli occupation military currently controls nearly 70% of the territory in the Gaza Strip.
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