Israel has destroyed evidence of war crimes and genocide in southern Gaza to build a massive displacement camp for Palestinians, equipped with surveillance systems and facial-recognition technology at its entrance
GAZA — Israel has destroyed evidence of war crimes and genocide in southern Gaza to build a massive displacement camp for Palestinians, equipped with surveillance systems and facial-recognition technology at its entrance, a new report has revealed as Israel aims to confine Palestinians and ensure that more residents leave Gaza than are allowed in, a long-standing objective aimed at expelling Palestinians from their land.
Retired Israeli reservist Brigadier-General Amir Avivi told Reuters news agency the camp would be built in an area of Rafah, with entry and exit tracked by Israeli personnel.
Avivi said the camp would be used to house Palestinians who want to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, as well as those who wish to stay. He said the structure would likely be “a big, organised camp” capable of hosting hundreds of thousands of people.
Israel also plans to restrict the number of Palestinians entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, ensuring that more people are allowed out than in.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the Rafah crossing had long been the only connection to the outside world.
Israeli forces occupied the Palestinian side of the crossing in May 2024, destroying its buildings, preventing travel and causing a severe humanitarian crisis, especially for patients. They deployed soldiers in a military buffer zone all across the Philadelphi Corridor, where they remain today.
The first phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire 20-point plan, which took effect in October to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, had called for Israel to let humanitarian aid into the territory and open “the Rafah crossing.” However, Israel has violated the agreement and continued to close it along with killing hundreds of civilians and blocking much-needed aid.
Three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters it was still not clear how Israel planned to enforce limits on the number of Palestinians entering Gaza and returning home from Egypt, or what ratio of exits to entries it aimed to achieve.
The three sources said that Israel also wants to establish a military checkpoint inside Gaza near the border, through which all Palestinians entering or leaving would be required to pass and be subjected to Israeli security checks.
Two other sources, which also confirmed plans for an Israeli military checkpoint in Gaza, said that it was not clear how individuals would be dealt with if they were blocked by Israel from passing through its checkpoint, particularly those entering from Egypt.
Israeli officials have repeatedly called for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the occupation of the enclave, and the construction of illegal settlements. Palestinians fear that such plans are intended to expel them permanently, or that those who leave even temporarily could be prevented from returning.
In July, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a plan to forcibly displace the entire population of the Gaza Strip to a so-called “humanitarian zone” over the ruins of part of Rafah. Human rights experts and groups say the plan reflects a deliberate effort to depopulate Gaza and impose a new demographic reality that advances a colonial project to erase the Palestinian presence.
Euro-Med Minor said, “This effectively constitutes the establishment of a closed mass concentration camp, where the population will be forcibly held outside any legitimate legal framework.”
The reports come as Israel announced this week the reopening of Rafah crossing with expectations in the coming days after the last remaining Israeli captive held in Gaza was released. Once operational, Palestinians will be able to enter and exit the besieged Gaza Strip, and those entering will be subject to much stricter security checks, Israel Army Radio said.
All travellers will first need Egyptian approval, and those entering Gaza will undergo intensive Israeli security screenings.
Israel’s Walla news site quoted an Israeli army official as saying the Rafah crossing will open in both directions on Sunday.
No official confirmation has been announced by the Israeli occupation government despite demands from the international community to finally open the critical crossing for people and much-needed humanitarian relief.
The reported massive displacement camp in Rafah comes as Israel has been destroying war crimes and genocide evidence in the southern Gaza city by rubble removal and land levelling. This also prevents the recovery of victims’ bodies. The Israeli army has confirmed that at least 70 percent of rubble removal in the city is complete.
Euro-Med warned that these operations continue despite strong indications that hundreds of bodies remain buried under destroyed homes, streets, and farmland. It said bulldozing risks damaging human remains, erasing their locations, and making recovery and identification impossible.
The group said it had previously documented the bombing of homes while residents were inside and attacks on civilians as they tried to flee. Rescue teams could not reach many victims due to Israel’s military control and blocked access. It added that rubble removal now extends this obstruction and raises the risk of wiping out evidence linked to the victims’ fate.
Euro-Med also warned that heavy machinery may fragment remains or mix them with debris that contractors could move to unknown sites or landfills. It said this would violate the dignity of the dead and the rights of families to know, mourn, and bury their loved ones. — QNN
