The US-backed Board of Peace is planning to establish a pilot "humanitarian zone" in the southern Gaza Strip, aimed at hosting tens of thousands of vetted Palestinian civilians, according to an official involved with the initiative. The zone is intended to serve as a foundational area for the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing Gaza’s transitional governance under a 20-point peace plan put forward by President Donald Trump.
The proposed pilot zone is being considered for Rafah, a town in southern Gaza that suffered extensive damage during recent fighting and remains largely under Israeli military control. The area would be secured by the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a nascent multinational body operating under the Board of Peace, composed of troops from countries including Morocco, Kosovo, Albania, and Kazakhstan.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a group of Palestinian technocrats appointed by the Board of Peace, would oversee screening and access management within the zone in cooperation with the ISF. Movement would reportedly remain open to all unarmed civilians wishing to enter or exit, although armed individuals would be barred under the screening mechanism. Notably, the Israeli military would have no direct interaction with the civilian population in the zone or involvement in its separation from the rest of Gaza.
“We’re looking at Rafah as a location,” an official familiar with the plan said, adding that no construction has commenced. The ISF would act as a buffer between Palestinians and Israeli forces, supporting the transition of governance. An ISF support site near the Kerem Shalom border crossing on the Israeli side is reportedly nearing completion.
Although the Board of Peace initiative reflects efforts to implement a ceasefire plan endorsed by the UN Security Council, progress has been slow. The NCAG remains based in Cairo and has yet to operate within Gaza. Since a truce between Israel and Hamas took effect last October, Israeli forces have expanded their control over more than 60% of Gaza’s territory. Hamas recently announced the dissolution of its governing body, paving the way for the NCAG’s administrative role.
The concept of closed humanitarian zones has drawn criticism from diplomats and aid organizations familiar with conditions on the ground. Some argue that concentrating civilians into controlled areas may violate international humanitarian law by effectively restricting freedom of movement and potentially amounting to forced displacement. They caution that such arrangements risk fracturing Gaza’s territorial integrity.
Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, expressed concern that the plan would only accommodate a symbolic number of Palestinians in temporary structures, creating the appearance of progress while allowing Israeli military operations elsewhere more latitude. He further warned that the NCAG’s authority might be limited to fragmented zones rather than governing Gaza as a whole.
The Israeli military acknowledged awareness of the plan but stated it was still under internal review. As efforts continue to advance the ceasefire and transition, the humanitarian zone proposal remains a subject of debate among stakeholders over its legal and practical implications.