Last Updated on July 11, 2025
Israel’s defense minister is promoting a plan to herd Gaza’s entire population into a massive tent city in Rafah, dubbed a “humanitarian city,” but Haaretz calls it a concentration camp and a historic low for the Jewish state.
Why it matters: This proposal risks normalizing mass displacement and incarceration under a “humanitarian” label, drawing parallels to dark historical periods and fueling international outrage over Israel’s Gaza policies.
Driving the news: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs Defense Minister Yisrael Katz’s plan to relocate all Gaza civilians to a fortified area in Rafah’s ruins, complete with hospitals and food, but critics see it as forced transfer with no freedom to leave unless emigrating, as detailed in Haaretz’s lead editorial.
- An Israeli source boasted: “They can be given Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,” highlighting the plan’s attempt to sugarcoat confinement.
- Recent strikes killed 26 in Gaza on Wednesday, many at aid sites, amid warnings from the Red Cross of collapsing medical services.
- The editorial urges an immediate end to the war, return of hostages, and handover to Palestinian Authority under international oversight.
Believe it or the hell not but Israel targets children.
This was the site of an airstrike just four hours ago.Two missiles hit this area in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. One struck directly on the merry-go-round, the other slammed into the tent beside it.
Several people… pic.twitter.com/Qb726GI7rR
— Mosab Abu Toha (@MosabAbuToha) July 8, 2025
Catch up quick: Since the Gaza war began, Israel has displaced most of the Strip’s population, with ongoing strikes targeting crowded areas like schools and shelters. The plan emerges as military operations lack clear diplomatic goals beyond potential “voluntary” Palestinian exodus. Haaretz argues this echoes a second Nakba, prioritizing expulsion over resolution.
The intrigue: By framing the camp as “humanitarian” with perks like ice cream, proponents aim to deflect comparisons to concentration camps, but the editorial warns that avoiding Holocaust analogies normalizes lesser evils.
Between the lines: The push reflects Israel’s frustration with stalled objectives, using euphemisms like “most moral army” to mask actions, while silencing critics by deeming historical parallels taboo.
What they’re saying:
- “No matter how they try in Israel to wrap this move with laundered epithets, they are talking about a concentration camp,” Haaretz’s lead editorial stated, condemning the plan’s moral implications.
- “As long as it’s not a Holocaust, everything’s okay,” the editorial noted, criticizing how comparisons are weaponized to normalize atrocities.
The bottom line: This war, devoid of acceptable aims, must halt now to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe and rebuild Gaza, or risk Israel’s descent into indefensible policies.
