A major dispute between the government and the army in Israel over the humanitarian city
Amman Today
publish date 2025-07-15 06:53:00
The humanitarian city raises a major controversy in Israel
- Netanyahu asks his government to prepare a more realistic plan
- The army objects to the plan because of its long time, high cost, and security risks
- Ehud Olmert: The Humanitarian City The Humanitarian City will be a “concentration camp.”“
A major disagreement within Israel, especially in the corridors of politicians, due to the agreement with Hamas regarding the future Gaza Strip
The meeting of the mini-security council in Tel Aviv witnessed sharp tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and army officials, following the presentation of a plan to build what was described as a “humanitarian city” in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, aiming to initially house up to 600,000 Palestinians from the combat zones in the Strip, a project that Defense Minister Israel Katz had unveiled last week.
According to what was reported by Israeli media, Netanyahu rejected the plan proposed by the army and the Ministry of Defense regarding the implementation of this project on the ground, saying that it was “unrealistic,” and demanded the preparation of an alternative plan that would be “faster, more agile, and less expensive.”
Historical understandings
A government source who attended the meeting was quoted as saying that Netanyahu shouted at Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, saying: I asked for a realistic plan.
This emergency meeting was held after the Israeli army expressed its opposition to the project, not only because of its high cost and long implementation period, which could take months, but also due to security concerns.
The military establishment in Israel believes that the establishment of what has been described as a large “tent city” of this size would undermine the efforts aimed at liberating the hostages held by Hamas, and fears that the project will be interpreted as an indication of Israel’s intention to be content with a partial agreement, which may prompt the resumption of fighting after reaching any possible ceasefire, especially with Hamas demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all large cities in the Strip in preparation for a complete military withdrawal, as its basic demand for any final agreement.
According to army estimates, implementing the plan to establish this “humanitarian city” will take several months, and perhaps a full year, which was rejected by Netanyahu and several ministers who called for reducing the timetable.
The military establishment in Israel believes that there is an opportunity to reach an agreement with Hamas that will return the Israeli detainees, in light of leaks regarding the outbreak of disagreements between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Zamir over the issue of continuing the war in Gaza.
Zamir, who was recently appointed by Netanyahu as Chief of Staff, believes that the continuation of the war and the elimination of Hamas are not consistent with achieving the goal of returning detainees from the Gaza Strip.
Humanitarian city
According to Israeli media, the “Humanitarian City” plan faces strong opposition from senior Finance Ministry officials, who warned of “catastrophic” economic consequences if this project is implemented, without providing clear funding sources.
According to a report published by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the ministry estimated that establishing and maintaining this “humanitarian city” would cost the Israeli authorities 15 billion shekels (about 4.5 billion dollars) during the current year and next year. Estimates indicate that the project cost savings will not occur in the short term, given that it is not temporary, but is expected to continue for years.
The government agencies concerned with the project in Israel, namely the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Finance, estimated the cost of establishing the infrastructure alone for this “humanitarian city” to exceed 10 billion shekels ($2.9 billion), while the annual maintenance costs for the entire project will reach a similar amount due to inflation and expected population growth there.
An Israeli government official described the plan as “equivalent to building an entire new Israeli city, with all its infrastructure: water, electricity, sewage, lighting, roads, schools, kindergartens and hospitals,” noting that about half of its expected population will be children.
Despite economic and military objections, the “Humanitarian City” project enjoys political support from Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom see the project as a “security and humanitarian necessity,” even if it is expensive.
But the issue now is not limited to a dispute over money or time. Rather, it reveals a sharp division in the Israeli government establishment: between national security considerations, economic pressures, and the political goals of the prime minister, who seems determined to move forward with the project, despite all the warnings.
Concentration camp
For his part, the former Israeli Prime Minister warned Ehud Olmert The “humanitarian city” planned to be established inside Gaza, which aims to accommodate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, will be a “concentration camp.”“.
Olmert told the British newspaper “The Guardian” about the “humanitarian city”: “It will be a concentration camp. I am sorry. If the Palestinians are deported to it, it can be said that this is part of ethnic cleansing.”“.
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World News
Source 1 : https://akhbaralaan.net/news/arab-world/2025/07/15/خلاف-كبير-بين-الحكومة-والجيش-في-إسرائيd
Source 2 : ألدستور
