US President Donald Trump’s peace council is planning to establish a pilot “humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza aimed at housing tens of thousands of vetted Palestinian civilians, a council official told AFP.The official said the area could serve as a “starting point” for a Palestinian technical expert committee designed to assume day-to-day governance of Gaza’s transition phase under Trump’s 20-point plan. The council is considering setting up a test zone in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which would be defended by a multinational force from the International Stabilization Force (ISF), an emerging agency under the peace council.The National Governing Council of Gaza (NCAG), a group of Palestinian technocrats established by the Peace Council, will conduct screening and access control with the support of Israeli security forces.“All unarmed civilians will maintain free access,” a commission official told AFP.
Concerns about humanitarian law, displacement
The concept of a humanitarian closed zone raises serious reservations, with diplomats and NGO officials working in Gaza telling AFP that such a mechanism does not appear to be in compliance with international humanitarian law.Diplomats and NGO officials say gathering civilians into delineated areas subject to access controls could amount to forced displacement, restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement and undermine principles of justice.Efforts to advance a planned U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza have been stalled for months, with NCAG stuck in Cairo and yet to enter the area. Since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect last October, Israeli forces have expanded their presence in Gaza and now control more than 60% of the area.The peace council was formally established earlier this year as part of a U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza approved by the U.N. Security Council. It aims to facilitate the transition away from Hamas rule while supporting the restoration of civilian administration and basic services.
