Netanyahu pushes for "tent cities" in Rafah, cabinet approves aid expansion

Israel's security and political cabinet approved a plan early Sunday to expand the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, including the northern part of the territory, amid opposition from ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The approval was accompanied by the advancement of a government plan to establish "tent cities" in the south, aimed at displacing residents from the north, under the pretext of "separating civilians from Hamas."

Discussions within the cabinet continued until the early hours of the morning, according to Israeli reports. The session lasted more than five hours and witnessed a tense atmosphere and exchange of accusations. The discussions centered on the plan for distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and details of the next phase should the truce take effect.

The disagreement during the meeting between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir centered on the feasibility of the plan to establish "tent cities" in the southern Gaza Strip and the possibility of implementing it within days. The security establishment expressed reservations about the circumstances and timing of its implementation, while Netanyahu emphasized the need to "flood" the Rafah area, which is controlled by the occupation army, with food and humanitarian aid to encourage residents to move there. Netanyahu asked the security services to formulate an implementation plan for this by next Thursday.

Security and military officials expressed widespread reservations about the plan's feasibility, citing logistical and operational complications, particularly during the ceasefire period. This generated sharp disagreement between the political and military leadership at the meeting, while expectations indicate the possibility of reaching a prisoner exchange deal and ceasefire in the near future.

The session was marked by intense tension, manifested in a direct clash between Netanyahu and Zamir over the implementation of the "humanitarian cities" plan. The prime minister expressed his anger at the army's "slowness" in establishing aid distribution centers, saying, "There is no reason to wait; we must move forward immediately." Kan 11 quoted sources within the cabinet as saying that Netanyahu "rebuked the chief of staff" and accused him of failing to carry out the instructions of the political leadership.

In the same context, the majority of ministers supported the establishment of aid centers and their distribution throughout the Gaza Strip, while ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich voted against allowing aid into northern Gaza at this stage, believing it would fall into the "hands of Hamas."

The discussion turned into a public altercation between military leaders and some ministers. According to Channel 12, images were shown during the session showing Palestinians running towards aid centers. The Chief of Staff said, "Look at the soldiers; civilians are not far from them." Ben-Gvir angrily responded, "Why are we risking soldiers to distribute aid?" Netanyahu responded, "Because they are running because they are hungry, and when they receive sufficient quantities, they will stop running."

But Ben-Gvir responded violently: "We must stop the aid immediately. They are running because that is their logic. Even when female prisoners were released, they ran after them. Were they hungry too?" Minister Orit Struck interrupted him, saying: "The issue is not being managed properly," prompting Minister David Amsalem to respond: "If that is the case, then you should take over the management."

The session also witnessed a heated exchange between the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Ghassan Alian, Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir regarding the fate of the aid. Alian stated, "99% of the trucks are looted by the residents," to which Smotrich replied, "According to a report I received, 89% of them reach Hamas." Alian replied, "The residents need food."

Ben-Gvir responded by asking, "The residents or Hamas?" Alian replied, "The residents. Look at the pictures." Ben-Gvir shouted, "These are Hamas members!" The Chief of Staff responded, "All of Gaza is Hamas." Ben-Gvir replied, "Then they shouldn't be given any food at all. They want food? Let all the prisoners be released immediately."

During the session, a heated argument erupted between Smotrich and Zamir, escalating into a heated exchange. Netanyahu intervened, "knocking on the table," and demanded an end to the personal squabbling and a shift to a professional and objective discussion. Smotrich accused the army of failing to implement the political leadership's instructions regarding the humanitarian separation, while Zamir accused Smotrich of doing nothing but criticizing the army and attacking the reserve forces.

In a related development, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, reported that Hamas' objections to the manner in which the Israeli army will withdraw constitute a "real problem," from Israel's perspective, and may make it difficult to bridge the gaps in the upcoming negotiations in Doha. Israel insists on maintaining a military presence along the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) and Morag axes during the anticipated truce, to ensure control over the Rafah border area, while Hamas categorically opposes this.

The initial draft of the agreement stipulates that "the map of the deployment of the new forces will be determined during intensive negotiations," opening the door to sensitive negotiations in the coming hours in Doha, where "proximity talks" are expected to begin with Qatari and American mediators.