Israel
IDF lawyers ‘raised concerns’ about plans to confine Gazans to new ‘humanitarian city’
Proponents claim the proposal will help to destroy Hamas and end the war
July 11, 2025 14:19
Proponents claim the proposal will help to destroy Hamas and end the war
July 11, 2025 14:19The IDF’s lawyers have reportedly “raised concerns” about plans announced by Defence Minister Israel Katz to confine Gaza’s entire population to a new “humanitarian city” near Rafah.
On Monday, Katz confirmed he had instructed the army to draw up a proposal to implement the scheme, which would start with the roughly 600,000 displaced people living in the Mawasi refugee camp, before expanding to the entire population of two million.
A new camp would be built on the ruins of the city in the south of the Strip, with Gazans screened through security checks before being allowed to enter.
A further four humanitarian aid sites would be established in the area to accommodate the extra demand, while the IDF would secure a buffer zone around the camp.
However, Katz confirmed that, once settled in the area, Palestinians would not be allowed to leave and would be encouraged to “voluntarily emigrate” from the Strip.
The announcement prompted some condemnation from international lawyers but it has now emerged, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, that the IDF’s own legal division voiced objections as well.
Citing two unnamed military officials, the Journal reported that lawyers were concerned the plans “could expose Israel to accusations of forced displacement and internment of civilians”.
A group of army lawyers reportedly met with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir this week and emphasised that “it would be illegal to coerce civilians into the zone or prevent them from leaving it, coax them to leave Gaza, or withhold aid from other parts of Gaza once the plan is enacted”.
Katz’s proposal was also criticised on the public record by Eran Shamir-Borer, formerly the IDF’s top international lawyer.
“The plan as expressed by Mr Katz raises serious legal difficulties,” he told the Journal, though he did add that he did not expect it to be implemented in the form that the defence minister outlined.
But the concept has received the backing of the government as a means of achieving the key war aim of destroying Hamas.
Amir Avivi, the founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum think tank, which helped develop the plan, said: “If it happens, and overall the society will move to one area… and Hamas will be completely detached from the society.
"This is pretty much game over [for the terror group].”
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