Israel’s ‘Green Rafah’ plan aims to fragment Gaza, experts say

What the report says

Israeli media say the government has approved infrastructure work in a designated area of eastern Rafah in southern Gaza under a plan described as “Green Rafah.” According to Al Jazeera’s reporting, the project is backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, and is being presented by Israeli officials as a temporary housing pilot intended to operate outside Hamas control. The area is near the Israeli-imposed “Yellow Line,” which has already compressed Palestinians into smaller zones.

The report says the military would oversee basic utilities such as water, sewage and electricity, while Palestinian workers would undergo security screening by Shin Bet. It also says Israeli authorities have barred mobile homes from entering the area until at least November. Experts cited by Al Jazeera argued that these restrictions, along with delays in reconstruction, are part of a broader effort to fragment Gaza, deepen dependence, and keep the enclave under Israeli administrative and security control.

On the same day, Netanyahu rejected a 15-point Gaza plan announced by the US-led Board of Peace, saying an Israeli withdrawal would not happen until Hamas is fully disarmed. The article adds that Palestinian analysts see the emerging zones and the proposed international stabilization force as part of a wider struggle over who will govern post-war Gaza and whether any arrangement will preserve Palestinian political rights.

Al Jazeera’s experts said the response from Palestinians would depend on whether such initiatives function as civilian protection or as tools of occupation. They argued that meaningful reconstruction and a unified Palestinian political position remain central to resisting forced displacement and administrative fragmentation.