Israeli Proposal Raises Concerns Over Gaza Truce Efforts

An Israeli scheme to confine a large portion of Gaza's population to a military-controlled area near the Egypt border is jeopardizing ongoing truce discussions with Hamas, leading to accusations of ethnic cleansing and creating new obstacles for the ceasefire.

An Israeli proposal to force much of Gaza's population into a small zone in the territory's south has threatened to derail the latest effort to achieve a truce between Israel and Hamas. In recent weeks, Israeli officials have briefed journalists and foreign counterparts on a loose plan to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into an area controlled by Israel’s military close to the Gaza-Egypt border. Legal experts have warned that the plan would violate international law because the civilians would be barred from returning to their homes to the north, a restriction that would constitute a form of ethnic cleansing.

While the Israeli government has yet to formally announce or comment on the plan, the idea of a new encampment in southern Gaza was first proposed last week by Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister. He discussed it at a briefing with Israeli correspondents who focus on military affairs, and The New York Times reviewed readouts of the briefing written by its attendees. Several attendees also wrote articles that attracted widespread attention among both Israelis and Palestinians. A spokesman for Mr. Katz declined to comment on the reports, as did the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.

Now, Hamas has cited Mr. Katz’s proposal as one of the latest obstacles to a new truce. During a cease-fire, in exchange for releasing roughly 25 hostages, Hamas wants Israeli troops to withdraw from much of Gaza. The new Israeli plan makes such an outcome far less likely, since it would ensure that Israeli troops remained in charge of a large area over which Hamas seeks to reestablish control. Husam Badran, a senior member of Hamas, described the establishment of the encampment as a “deliberatively obstructive demand” that would complicate the fraught negotiations.