Israel tells Gaza mediators it plans to create security zone and evict Palestinians in the north

Sources say Israel's scheme threatens ceasefire talks and attempts to redraw Gaza's borders

An injured Palestinian man lies on the floor of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Wednesday. Reuters

Israel has informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators it intends to create a security zone up to 2km deep along its entire border with Gaza as well as the enclave's Mediterranean coast, sources told The National on Wednesday.

They said Israel has also told the mediators it plans to evict residents of the northern Gaza towns of Jabalia and Beit Lahia and resettle them in Al Mawasi, a narrow strip of coastal land near the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israel also informed them of its intention to gather hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in a “humanitarian city” south of Rafah on the border with Egypt, according to the sources.

Hamas has claimed that Israel wants to keep at least 40 per cent of the Gaza Strip under its control as part of any deal to end the war.

“The Israeli plans amount to an attempt to re-demarcate the borders for Gaza,” said one of the sources. “They want Gaza carved up.”

Israel's army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir meanwhile told troops in Gaza that Israel will know "in the coming days" whether there is an agreement. "If there is a deal and the hostages return, it will be thanks to your combat."

Palestinians search for items to salvage in the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes on Al Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza city. AFP

News of the “humanitarian city” broke last week when Israel's Hebrew press quoted Defence Minister Israel Katz saying 600,000 Palestinians will be moved there. Palestinians moving into the city will be screened to weed out Hamas operatives, he said. Once in, they will not be able to leave, he added.

Ceasefire talks have continued in Qatar for a second week without a breakthrough. The sources have said the talks stalled over the extent of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, which Hamas rejects as insufficient.

The main provisions of the proposals under discussion include a 60-day truce, release of hostages held in Gaza, flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and discussions on an end to the war.

The Doha talks, according to the sources, have made progress on several key issues amid upbeat comments about the prospects for a deal by US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Mr Trump was scheduled to meet Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Wednesday. The US President said on Sunday he hoped the ceasefire talks would be “straightened out” this week.

But, besides the issue of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the talks could be derailed if Israel stands by its latest plans for after the war.

There was no immediate word from Israel or the US on the plans shared with the mediators. Their general gist has been mentioned previously by US and Israeli officials but never as clear-cut or fully as they were laid out by the sources on Wednesday.

Palestinian women mourn victims of a crowd crush that took place near an aid site in Khan Younis on Wednesday. Reuters

The Gaza war has not had a reprieve since a two-month truce unravelled, with Israel resuming military operations on March 18.

In a move likely to further dim the prospect of a deal, Israel on Wednesday said its military had created a new route in southern Gaza separating several towns east of Khan Younis from the rest of the territory.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the corridor showed Israel was not serious about reaching a ceasefire deal.

“It confirms the occupation’s long-term intentions and plans to remain inside the Strip, not to withdraw, and not to end the war. This contradicts everything it claims at the negotiating table or communicates to mediators,” Mr Naim wrote on his Facebook page.

The sources said Israel is also proposing to Egypt and the Palestinian Authority that they jointly run security in postwar Gaza. Egypt has rejected the offer, but said it remains ready to contribute security advisers to a multinational mission to train a new police force, they said.

Israel has also renewed its demands that Hamas leaders leave the strip with their families to live in exile and for the militant group to disarm. Hamas has suggested its readiness for its leaders to leave on condition that Israel pledges not to target them. It has said it is willing to lay down its arms, but only if Israel formally ends the war.

The latest Israel-Hamas war was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas and its allies attacked communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.

Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians.

It has also caused a hunger crisis, displaced nearly Gaza's entire population and given rise to charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

Israel insists the war will not end before the dismantlement of Hamas's military and governing capabilities and the release of the remaining hostages. Hamas says it will not agree to a deal that does not include Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and an end of the war.