Israel plans massive displacement camp for southern Gaza: Report
Israel has cleared land in southern Gaza for the construction of a huge camp for Palestinians potentially equipped with surveillance and facial recognition technology at its entrance, a retired Israeli general who advises the military says.
Retired reservist Brigadier-General Amir Avivi told Reuters news agency the camp would be built in an area of Rafah cleared of tunnels built by Hamas, with entry and exit tracked by Israeli personnel.
Avivi said the camp would be used to house Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, as well as those who wish to stay. Israel wants to ensure more Palestinians leave Gaza than are allowed in, sources told Reuters this month.
“You need to build infrastructure in Rafah that can host them, and then they can choose if they want to go or not,” Avivi said. He said the structure would likely be “a big, organised camp” capable of hosting hundreds of thousands of people.
Israeli officials have spoken in the past about encouraging Gazans to emigrate, though they deny intending to transfer the population out by force – a highly sensitive issue for Palestinians.
In July, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz told Israeli media he ordered troops to prepare a camp in Rafah to house Gaza’s population. Officials have not spoken publicly about such plans since then.
Israeli plans for Rafah ‘camp’ slammed as continuation of genocide
While diplomatic circles welcome the recovery of the last captive’s remains in Gaza and the imminent partial reopening of the enclave’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a quieter, darker reality is taking shape on the ground.
According to comments by retired Israeli General Amir Avivi, who still advises the military, Israel has cleared land in Rafah, an area in southern Gaza that it had already flattened in more than two years of its genocidal war, to construct an enormous facility to entrench its military control and presence in Gaza for the long term.
Rafah crossing to open in ‘coming days’: Reports
The crucial Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt is expected to open in the “coming days”, Israeli media reports say.
Once operational, Palestinians will be able to enter and exit the besieged Gaza Strip, and those entering will be subject to much stricter security checks, Israel Army Radio said.
All travellers will first need Egyptian approval, and those entering Gaza will undergo intensive Israeli security screenings.
Israel’s Walla news site quoted an Israeli army official as saying the Rafah crossing, which has been mostly closed since May 2024, will open in both directions on Sunday.
No official confirmation has been announced by Israel’s government despite demands from the international community to finally open the critical crossing for people and much-needed humanitarian relief.
