Israel approves pilot program for Gaza humanitarian zone managed by international force

Israel's Security Cabinet has greenlit a pilot program to establish a humanitarian zone in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip. This initiative, approved on Sunday, aims to reintroduce basic resource management in the area, with oversight on the ground provided by agencies associated with U.S. President Donald Trump's Peace Board.

The plan involves creating a "humanitarian zone" in Rafah within the coming weeks, which will be entirely controlled by the Israeli military. The establishment of this zone would include the deployment of an International Stabilization Force, as stipulated in a truce agreement. The decision saw opposition from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the only member to vote against it.

According to Israeli media, the international force will comprise approximately 200 representatives from countries friendly to Israel, such as Uganda and Morocco. The program includes the construction of temporary housing for residents who choose to relocate to this pilot area, subject to verification processes to rule out ties to Hamas. Details on this verification process remain unclear.

This pilot zone is intended to be managed by a Palestinian "technocrat government" with the backing of the International Stabilization Force. However, the deployment of this force is contingent on pending approvals from key Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Israel has stated it will maintain its occupation of territory up to the "yellow line" until Hamas is disarmed and Gaza is fully demilitarized.

If successful, the pilot program could be extended to other areas of Gaza. This concept of a designated zone for population relocation and resource provision in Rafah was previously part of Netanyahu's 2025 plan, a proposal that had previously drawn warnings from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).