Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan Sparks Legal and Humanitarian Concerns

Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan Sparks Legal and Humanitarian Concerns
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Israel’s defence minister has outlined plans to confine all Palestinians in Gaza to a camp on the ruins of Rafah, Haaretz reported. Labelled a “humanitarian city,” the area would hold Palestinians after “security screening,” with residents barred from leaving. Israel aims to relocate about 600,000 people initially and eventually the entire population. Legal experts say this plan breaks international law and amounts to a blueprint for crimes against humanity.

Human rights advocates said the scheme is about mass population transfer and forced deportation, which under war conditions would qualify as a war crime or crime against humanity. A Jewish historian called the planned camp “a concentration camp or transit camp” and rejected Israel’s description of it as a city.

The plan comes as Prime Minister Netanyahu visits Washington to discuss a possible ceasefire with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Gaza’s war has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians and devastated hospitals and civilian infrastructure.

Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have also promoted new Israeli settlements in Gaza and pressed other countries to accept Palestinian refugees. Critics argue that the plan ignores Palestinians’ rights and risks further violence if communities resist forced relocation.