Israeli political and legal debate over the government's plan for a so-called "humanitarian city" in Gaza intensified this week, as former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denounced the project as a "concentration camp" and opposition leaders branded the move "crazy-even by this government's standards." The controversial proposal, spearheaded by Defense Minister Israel Katz and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would see a fenced-in zone built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza, intended to eventually contain the territory's entire civilian population-more than two million people.
Olmert, who served as Israel's prime minister from 2006 to 2009, told The Guardian, "It is a concentration camp. I am sorry. If they (Palestinians) will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing." He continued, "When they build a camp where they (plan to) 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this (is that) it is not to save (Palestinians). It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away."
The Prime Minister's Office hit back at Olmert, calling him a "convicted felon disgracing Israel on CNN," and defended the plan by stating, "We evacuate civilians. Hamas blocks them. He calls that a war crime?" Olmert, who completed a prison term for corruption in 2017, has been an outspoken critic of Israeli military policy in Gaza. In a separate interview in May, he questioned, "What is it if not a war crime?" and accused Netanyahu's government of "committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way."
More than 58,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The plan's details, as described by Defense Minister Katz, would relocate Gaza's civilians into a zone initially designed for 600,000 displaced people from the Mawasi coastal area, and then expand to include the entire population. Once inside, residents would not be allowed to leave. Katz also said the government aims to encourage "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from Gaza.
Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party and Israel's opposition chief, led a chorus of domestic political backlash Monday, calling the proposal "a crazy idea-even by this government's standards." Lapid questioned: "Will its residents be allowed to leave? If not, how will they be prevented from leaving? Will there be a fence? An electric fence? How many soldiers will guard it?" He pressed for clarity on the logistics, humanitarian risks, and soaring cost estimates-at least 15 billion shekels ($4.5 billion) and potentially upwards of 20 billion, according to military sources.
Lapid stated, "Most relevant for Israeli citizens: How much will this cost us?... Before they admit failure, they'll spend billions." His criticism was echoed by Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, who called the plan a "delusion" that "will endanger our soldiers." Liberman added, "Someone will have to operate, guard, and maintain" the project, warning that it "attaches us to Gaza more and more."
Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity party, said the government's approach was a more dangerous and expensive version of his earlier proposal to establish a humanitarian zone managed by the international community. Gantz noted, "Now, they're again working against the recommendation of the IDF-and it seems that politics have again trumped common sense."
Human rights attorney Michael Sfard described the plan as the forcible transfer of a population in preparation for deportation, stating, "Both of these are war crimes. If they are done on a massive scale-whole communities-they can amount to crimes against humanity." Sfard dismissed claims that emigration could be voluntary under such conditions.
The war in Gaza erupted after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. According to officials, 50 hostages-20 believed to be alive-remain held in Gaza.
