Report: Israel planning to build massive city in Gaza, relocate civilian population

The political echelon wants full Israeli control of a huge complex that will house, feed and protect the civilian population while Hamas is destroyed.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The recent arguments between the IDF chief of staff and ministers in the security cabinet revolve to a great extent over a recently formulated political plan for the “day after” in Gaza, Channel 12 reported Monday.

The idea is to set up at the war’s end a huge complex between the Philadelphi Corridor that runs along Gaza-Egypt border just below Rafah and the Morag Corridor that is located between Rafah and the next-closest major city, Khan Yunis, and cuts all the way across the Gaza Strip from east to west.

Both routes are heavily guarded by the IDF, and the area between them has been mostly if not all cleared of Hamas forces.

This “city” would contain all basic infrastructure and include both temporary living quarters and permanent buildings.

The plan is for it to become the receiving point for almost all humanitarian aid that enters Gaza, in order to lead to the vast majority of the Gazan civilian population going to live there, while separating them from the terror organization that has maintained control over the people until now, largely due to its massive theft and control over the distribution of such aid to date.

Hamas’ hold has already weakened over the last month as a private group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, was put in charge by Israel to disperse aid in the south only to civilians.

Several Gazan family clans, many of them criminal in nature, have also begun protecting aid convoys elsewhere in the Strip from being forcibly taken by Hamas goons.

The report noted that after most of the population is concentrated in this area, the next stage will consist of a massive, organized effort to help the Gazans emigrate voluntarily to countries willing to take them in.

After U.S. President Donald Trump floated the emigration idea in February, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the establishment of a new directorate to provide “extensive assistance” to Gazans who want to leave, but very few civilians have departed for new lives elsewhere since then.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before getting on a plane Sunday to Washington, D.C. for consultations with President Trump, “We are determined to ensure that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.”

“This means only one thing,” he continued. “The destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.”

In Saturday night’s cabinet meeting, IDF Chief of Staff Lieut. Gen. Eyal Zamir came under fire from several participants over the slow pace in establishing the humanitarian zones, including the prime minister.

In a raised voice, Netanyahu said, “I don’t want a military government,” referring to what the security establishment and most politicians consider the least desired option, that of Israel directly ruling the Gaza Strip, as it did until the 2005 Disengagement.

“But I do want to transfer [the Palestinians] to a large civilian space,” without a Hamas presence, he emphasized, since “I will not countenance having Hamas stay in any form in the Strip; I won’t compromise on this issue.”

Netanyahu had already demanded of Zamir at last week’s cabinet meeting to prepare a plan for implementing the political echelon’s proposal that he could see upon his return to Israel.

Benjamin NetanyahuEyal ZamirGaza humanitarian aidIDFIsrael-Hamas warRafah