Displacement Plan: "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" Proposes Gathering Gazans in Internal and External Camps

SadaNews - The "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," backed by the United States, has presented a plan to establish temporary camps referred to as "humanitarian transition areas" either within or outside the Gaza Strip, aiming to "shelter Palestinians from the strip," as part of its vision to "end Hamas's control over the population in Gaza." This proposal was revealed in documents accessed by Reuters and uncovered today, Monday. The report stated that the plan, estimated to cost around two billion dollars, was presented to the administration of President Donald Trump and discussed recently in the White House. The documents describe the camps as "large-scale" and "voluntary," intended to allow Gaza residents to "temporarily reside and eliminate extremism, and prepare for resettlement if they wish to do so." The presentation slides reviewed by Reuters contain detailed information about the project, including implementation plans, costs, and project objectives related to "gaining the trust of local residents" and facilitating "Trump's vision for Gaza." The Washington Post noted last May that the foundation had plans to build residential complexes for Palestinians. According to the report, Reuters could not independently verify the current status of the project, the entity that submitted it, or whether it is still under consideration. Although the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denied, in response to Reuters' inquiries, that it had made such a proposal and stated that the slides "are not from the foundation's documents," it simultaneously affirmed that it had "studied several theoretical options for safely delivering aid to Gaza," but it "does not plan to implement humanitarian transition areas," claiming that its focus is on distributing food supplies. Allegations of Deception and "Security Tool" For its part, SRS, an American contracting company working for the foundation, stated that it had not conducted any discussions regarding "humanitarian transition areas," claiming that any indication to the contrary is "baseless and distorts the scope of our operations." Nevertheless, the slides bore the Gaza Foundation's name on the cover and the name of SRS on several pages of the presentation. In a statement to Reuters, Ismail Thawabta, head of the government media office in Gaza, emphasized the "categorical rejection" of the foundation, considering it "not a relief organization but rather an intelligence and security tool for the Israeli occupation, operating under a false humanitarian facade." Trump's Statements and Fears of Forced Displacement On February 4, Trump publicly stated the need for "control" of the war-torn region and its reconstruction to become the "Riviera of the Middle East" after "resettling 2.3 million Palestinians elsewhere." These statements sparked widespread anger among Palestinians and human rights organizations, raising fears of a plan for forced displacement. Humanitarian experts affirmed that the idea of transferring large numbers of the strip's population to camps "would only exacerbate fears," even if the proposal is no longer under consideration. A source indicated that the presentation was submitted to the U.S. embassy in Israel earlier this year, but the U.S. State Department declined to comment. A senior administration official stated: "There is nothing like this under consideration. No resources are being allocated for this purpose in any way." American Funding and UN Rejection According to Reuters, the U.S. State Department approved funding of $30 million for the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" last June, urging other countries to provide similar support. The foundation coordinates with the Israeli army and employs American security and logistics companies to deliver aid to the strip, substituting for UN mechanisms. However, the UN described the foundation's operations as inherently "unsafe" and violating neutrality principles. The UN human rights office reported documenting at least 613 cases of killings at sites affiliated with the foundation or near relief convoys operated by other entities, including the UN. Project Details: Camps for $2 Billion The document includes a proposal to create "large-scale humanitarian transition areas within and perhaps outside Gaza," which would serve as residence areas during the "disarmament and reconstruction of Gaza." One of the images in the presentation specifying the timeline showed that a camp would be ready within 90 days of launching the project and would accommodate 2,160 people along with a laundry facility, restrooms, and a school. Two sources involved in the project stated that these camps represent the "next phase" after the foundation opened food distribution sites in May, confirming that they are part of a "planning process that began last year" which includes building eight camps, each capable of sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Although the locations of these camps outside Gaza were not specified, a map attached to the presentation indicated arrows pointing towards Egypt, Cyprus, and "additional destinations?" The document further stated that the foundation "will oversee and organize all necessary civil activities for construction, transportation, and temporary voluntary relocation." The proposal did not specify how Palestinians would be transported to the camps. In response to Reuters' inquiries, three humanitarian experts expressed concerns about the details of the plan to build the camps and transport Palestinians to them in violation of international humanitarian law and human rights. "No Such Thing as Voluntary Displacement Amid Bombardment" Former USAID Administrator and head of the International Refugee Organization, Jeremy Koenidik, stated after reviewing the proposal: "There is no such thing as voluntary displacement among populations exposed to continuous bombardment for nearly two years and are deprived of essential assistance." In turn, one of the participants in preparing the plan stated that the goal of the camps is to "remove the element of fear" and enable Palestinians to "escape Hamas's control" and provide a "safe area to shelter their families."