GAZA – As Israeli airstrikes continued to hit the Gaza Strip ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States for crucial ceasefire talks, new revelations have emerged about a controversial proposal linked to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — a US- and Israeli-supported initiative established to bypass UN-led aid mechanisms.
According to a report by Reuters, GHF proposed the establishment of “Humanitarian Transit Areas” — large-scale camps intended to temporarily house Palestinians, “deradicalize” them, and prepare some for potential relocation. The plan is reportedly part of a broader strategy to end Hamas’s control in Gaza.
The $2 billion proposal was initially submitted to the Trump administration and recently discussed at the White House. Documents described the camps as voluntary spaces designed to “gain trust with the local population” and support former President Donald Trump’s “vision for Gaza.”
GHF denied ownership of the slide deck cited in the report, stating that it had only reviewed “theoretical options” for aid delivery and is not planning or implementing any transit areas. The status of the proposal remains uncertain.
Human rights organizations have expressed alarm, warning that repeated references by Israeli and US officials to relocating Gaza’s population could amount to ethnic cleansing.
Since March, Israel has closed Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid following the breakdown of a previous ceasefire. GHF’s aid operations, launched in May, have faced strong criticism for their limited scope and chaotic execution. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, over 600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,000 injured by Israeli forces while attempting to access aid at GHF distribution sites.
A Financial Times investigation revealed that a consulting firm linked to the initiative signed a٦ multimillion-dollar contract to develop aid models, including scenarios involving the voluntary relocation of up to 500,000 Palestinians. The plan offered financial incentives of $9,000 per person to encourage emigration and estimated that expelling residents would be $23,000 cheaper per person than supporting them during reconstruction.
Reuters noted that Boston Consulting Group, which was involved in this modeling, later claimed the relocation scenarios were created without the knowledge or approval of its senior management.
The revelations have intensified calls for accountability, with legal experts warning that any coordinated effort to forcibly displace Palestinians may constitute a violation of international law and could implicate those involved in war crimes.
