PM Netanyahu and IDF brass said to clash over plans for new ‘humanitarian city’ in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clashed on Sunday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir over the plans for a new “humanitarian city” that Israel seeks to create in southern Gaza.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was presented with military plans for establishing a new zone in the Rafah area during a high-level meeting on Sunday evening.

The plans reportedly included estimates that it would take over a year and cost NIS 10-15 billion to build the tent encampment.

Netanyahu reportedly rejected the figure outright, viewing the military’s estimate as an attempt to sabotage the construction of the new zone – an initiative the IDF’s top brass is said to oppose.

At the end of a lengthy discussion, the prime minister instructed the IDF to present an alternative plan on Monday, Channel 12 reported. “It needs to be shorter, cheaper, and more practical,” Ynet News quoted him as saying.

The idea for a new humanitarian zone was first presented last week by Defense Minister Israel Katz and has since drawn criticism from the Israel Defense Forces, as well as outraged condemnation worldwide, including comparisons to Nazi concentration camps.

The IDF has consistently opposed any role in distributing humanitarian aid to Gaza and stridently rejected anything approaching a military administration over the enclave.

Lt.-Gen. Zamir has reportedly clashed with Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in recent weeks, arguing that construction of the new zone would detract from the IDF’s fighting effort.

According to the plan, Gazans would undergo security screens to filter out Hamas operatives before entering the humanitarian zone. Once there, they would not be allowed to return to other areas of Gaza until the end of the war.

The new area is intended to replace the current humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi and eventually house the entire population of Gaza.

The IDF estimates that the construction of the zone, including tent encampments for some half a million people, would cost around NIS 10-15 billion, most of which Israel would initially cover, with the hope of partial reimbursement if Gulf countries eventually assume control of the enclave’s administration after the war.

Under the proposed model, the IDF would not distribute aid or food but would secure the area from a distance, while Israel recruits countries and international organizations to manage the distribution of aid and food.

Israel also intends to establish four additional centers to be managed by the American aid fund, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in addition to the three existing centers in the southern part of the Strip.

If a ceasefire agreement is signed that allows the IDF to remain in the Morag Corridor area, according to the defense establishment's preparations, construction work will be carried out during the 60-day ceasefire.

Sources told Ynet News that the high cost stemmed from the intention to build a zone where Gazans would actually want to go and stay, which included long‑term tents, medical aid, and possibly educational facilities.

The Finance Minister’s office rejected the high estimates, saying this was an attempt to derail “the Prime Minister’s plan for humanitarian separation between Hamas and civilians by inflating budgets to frighten and block it.”

“The war has already cost hundreds of billions without a resolution, mainly due to failures in managing aid that feeds Hamas. Proper civilian management and choking off Hamas is the effective route to victory. If anyone plans a budgetary sabotage, they should back off,” the Finance Ministry stated.

“This money won’t come back,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Sunday. “Netanyahu is letting Smotrich and Ben Gvir go wild with extreme delusions just so he can maintain his coalition. Instead of wasting the middle class’s money, they should end the war and return the hostages.”

In an interview with Army Radio, Lapid added, “What is this ‘humanitarian city'? Will people be permitted to exit it? If not, how will this be enforced? There will be 600,000 people with a fence around them. I really don’t like people saying ‘concentration camp’ – there are comparisons that cannot be made – but if people can’t leave, it’s a detention camp, and if people can leave, there is no humanitarian city.”

Additional criticism came from international diplomats, human rights groups, the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority.

A Palestinian official told AFP that the plans threaten to derail ceasefire talks, as Hamas rejects what it views as a “preparation for forcibly displacing [Gazans] to Egypt or other countries.”