A significant escalation in demolition activities by Israel within Gaza’s southern Rafah Governorate has been revealed by an inquiry conducted by Al Jazeera’s Sanad investigations unit.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense has outlined a strategy to transfer 600,000 individuals to what observers describe as “concentration camps” in the southern Gaza region, with intentions to extend this to the entire population of the Strip.
Sanad’s examination of satellite imagery up to July 4, 2025, indicates a rise in the number of destroyed structures in Rafah to approximately 28,600, an increase from 15,800 recorded on April 4, 2025, according to data from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).
This signifies that roughly 12,800 buildings were razed between early April and early July alone – a notable acceleration in demolitions that has coincided with Israel’s renewed offensive into Rafah, commencing in late March 2025.
‘Humanitarian city’
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, informed reporters on Monday that an initial 600,000 Palestinians residing in the coastal al-Mawasi area would be moved to Rafah, designated as a new “humanitarian city” for Palestinians, within 60 days of any agreed-upon ceasefire.
According to Katz, the entirety of Gaza’s civilian population – exceeding 2 million individuals – will ultimately be resettled in this southern city.
A proposal obtained by Reuters, bearing the name of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), detailed arrangements for a “Humanitarian Transit Area” where Gaza’s inhabitants would “temporarily reside, undergo deradicalization, be reintegrated, and prepare for relocation if they choose to do so”.
The minister stated that Israel aims to encourage Palestinians to “voluntarily emigrate” from the Gaza Strip to other nations, asserting that this objective “should be achieved”.
He also emphasized that the initiative would not be managed by the Israeli military but by international entities, without specifying which organizations would be responsible for its execution.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) – which Israel has prohibited – cautioned against the latest plan for mass forced displacement.
“This would effectively establish vast concentration camps at the Egyptian border for Palestinians, who have been repeatedly displaced across generations,” he commented, adding that it would “strip Palestinians of any hope for a better future in their homeland”.
Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg informed Al Jazeera that the plan constitutes, “for all intents and purposes, a concentration camp” for Palestinians in southern Gaza, implying that Israel is perpetrating “what is a clear crime against humanity under international humanitarian law”.
