Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has revealed that plans are underway to establish a so-called “humanitarian zone” in place of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that has been heavily impacted by conflict. The proposed area is intended to accommodate the full population of the Gaza Strip, a move that has already drawn significant backlash from human rights organizations.

According to Katz, the initial phase will see the relocation of around 600,000 Palestinians, primarily those currently living in makeshift conditions in the coastal zone of Mawasi. Eventually, the plan envisions all 2.2 million Gazans being relocated to the designated area. While international groups are expected to manage the site’s operations, Israeli military forces would oversee it from a distance.

The defense minister also stated that Palestinians would undergo security screenings before being allowed entry, to prevent Hamas members from accessing the zone. Katz admitted that one of the objectives behind the move is to encourage Palestinians to leave Gaza for other countries, though he described it as a “voluntary” process. Once relocated, individuals would reportedly be barred from returning to their previous homes in other parts of Gaza.

While the Defense Ministry is said to be in the planning stages, no official public statement has confirmed whether the proposal has been fully authorized or when it might be implemented.

The initiative has sparked alarm among legal experts and rights activists, many of whom view the plan as forced displacement disguised as humanitarian aid. Michael Sfard, a well-known human rights lawyer in Israel, warned that the strategy amounts to a potential crime against humanity. “Calling this deportation ‘voluntary’ doesn’t make it so, especially when people are left with no real choice,” he told the Guardian.

This development follows Israel’s rejection of proposed amendments to a ceasefire deal submitted by Hamas, which had called for a permanent end to hostilities and a complete Israeli pullout from Gaza.

The war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted in October 2023, began with a surprise militant assault that left around 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds taken hostage. Israel’s military response has led to widespread destruction and an estimated 57,000 deaths in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to local health authorities.