West Jerusalem has proposed a sealed "humanitarian city" in Rafah to house Palestinians under military control

Israel's plan to concentrate Gaza's entire population into a sealed, military-controlled "humanitarian city" is "inhumane," the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said, warning it would constitute forced displacement on a massive scale.

The scheme was unveiled by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday. It envisions establishing a walled-off camp in southern Gaza on the ruins of Rafah. Katz has said the site would initially hold 600,000 Palestinians displaced by the war and would eventually house the entire population of the enclave - more than 2 million people.

According to Katz, residents would be screened to prevent Hamas operatives from entering and would not be permitted to leave. At some point, the inhabitants would be allowed to "voluntarily emigrate" to other countries. He has described the plan as a way to give the Israeli military more "freedom" to fight Hamas in other parts of Gaza.

Katz has claimed that while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would initially control the zone, it could eventually be operated by international organizations, though he has not specified which bodies would participate.

A source cited by Haaretz has claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the plan. Commenting on the idea of providing comforts to the confined Gazans, Netanyahu allegedly said, "Give them Ben & Jerry's, for all I care."

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, UNRWA communications director Tamara Alrifai said: "There is nothing humanitarian about confining hundreds of thousands of people behind fences and checkpoints under military surveillance." 

"Labeling it a 'humanitarian city' is an insult to the very notion of humanity," she added.

Alrifai warned that the project would transform Gaza, already described as an "open-air prison" by humanitarian groups, into the most crowded and tightly controlled camp on Earth.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has called the idea a "massive overcrowded camp" and said the only viable solution is a lasting ceasefire, the release of hostages, unimpeded humanitarian access, and a renewed commitment to a two-state solution.

The plan has also sparked outcry from rights experts and observers, some of whom have compared the sealed zone to a concentration camp and have accused Israel of engineering a mass expulsion of Palestinians.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023 following a deadly Hamas incursion. Since then, the IDF has reportedly killed nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, leading to accusations of genocide against the Israeli leadership.