Israel Building ‘Humanitarian City’ In Southern Gaza To Isolate Civilians, Facilitate Migration

The Israeli delegation began indirect talks on Sunday in Doha with Hamas, but there was no immediate announcement of a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Israel’s security and political leadership is formulating an ambitious plan for the day after the fighting in Gaza: the establishment of a new humanitarian city in the southern Gaza Strip. This city is intended to serve as a central hub for concentrating the Gazan population.

The goal is to isolate the civilian population from Hamas terrorists, establish mechanisms to encourage voluntary emigration, and create a new civil order.The planned city is expected to be built near Rafah, between the Morag and Philadelphi routes.

Yesterday, it was reported that there was tension in the Security Cabinet between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The reason: delays in establishing the humanitarian city, which is seen by political leadership as a cornerstone of what they call “the day after” strategy. Netanyahu told Zamir during the meeting:
“There’s no time to wait – we need to move forward.”

The city will be a large compound that includes basic infrastructure, tent encampments, and permanent structures. The aim is for the city to house the majority of the Gaza population. According to the plan, most of the humanitarian aid entering Gaza after the fighting ends will be channeled there—with the hope that aid centralization will attract the population to that area.

This solution is meant not only to establish civil order but also to separate Hamas resistance enclaves from the civilian population.

Sources familiar with the plan say that in the next phase, after concentrating the population, mechanisms will be activated to encourage voluntary emigration of Gazan residents from the humanitarian city to third-party countries outside Gaza. Israel acknowledges that this move could provoke strong reactions from the international community.

Israeli officials emphasize that preparations for building the city have already begun. From Israel’s perspective, this initiative is a “game-changer” in response to the prolonged fighting in Gaza: an attempt to create a new reality—without Hamas—based on humanitarian aid, security control, and gradual population exit from the Strip.