Israel’s “Humanitarian” Aid Plan to Precede Rafah Invasion Claims US approves ethnic cleansing plans for 1-million Gazans

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Israel announced (Hebrew, Google translation here) its plan to “protect” 1-million refugees sheltering in Rafah. They fled their homes in northern Gaza.  Now they will be forced to flee from Rafah. Tikun Olam revealed plans for the new UAE-Egypt-Israel tent city here. Weeks ago, Egyptian human rights group documented an Egyptian project to build a holding facility for any Gazan’s who crossed its border.

The Biden administration has demanded Israel produce such a plan before such an invasion.  It added that barring such a plan, it opposed an invasion. Now, Israel has essentially called Biden’s bluff saying: here’s the plan. Now when we do invade Rafah you will not be able to oppose it.

I reported earlier this week, that Israel had enlisted UAE and Egypt as partners in this scheme.  They provided “cover” as Arab states. Israel realized no Gazan would participate in this, unless there was a credible partner.  And these two states, both Israeli allies, agreed.  Egypt hardly had a choice, since without a plan to shelter the Rafah refugees, they would likely have flooded across the border into Egypt.  It didn’t want Israel’s problem to become its problem.

Israel’s Sham plan

Details of the operation are reported here for the first time outside Israeli media. They were originally leaked to Israel’s Channel 12 TV news, most likely by an IDF source or Netanyahu himself. The plan lacks credibility and is totally inadequate. It calls for 40,000 tents for 1-million refuges: 25 people per tent.  Unless these are huge tents, they will be insufficient.

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It calls for “hundreds of trucks,” without clarifying whether this is per day, per week, etc.  The average truck traffic before 10/7 was 500 daily.  Since then, the IDF has not even come close to that figure, averaging around 100 per day. This is one reason Gazans are starving to death.  The trucks will enter via Kerem Shalom and “other crossings.” We have heard repeatedly about the opening of these “other crossings” and nothing has come of them. They remain closed. There is no reason to believe the IDF will fulfill this promise.

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It is fine-sounding rhetoric which one knows, based on the IDF’s record of mendacity, will never happen. These tent cities are Potemkin villages.  They are the equivalent of Theresienstadt : model facilities with model Gazans providing model services, while the rest of the 1-million Gazans face starvation and mass murder under the onslaught of IDF guns.

Refugee aid legitimizes Rafah invasion

The aid operation also offers the IDF a major benefit. Because it can now claim it has provided a “comprehensive plan” to house Rafah refugees, it can declare it a free fire zone once it begins its invasion.  Any remaining refugees there will be considered the enemy, and killed on sight whether armed or not.

All of this will happen under the auspices of the US.  By ratifying and collaborating with this plan, we will be facilitating yet another genocide.  There are now over 34,000 Palestinian dead.  Once the invasion happens that will number will surpass 50,000, likely far passing it.

Here is an outline of the plan provisions as reported by Channel 12 (quotations are translated from the original article, which was based on a direct IDF source):

It was “formulated in close strategic coordination with the international community led by the US.” will be implemented “in close strategic coordination with the US.”

The humanitarian operation is closely intertwined with the invasion to follow its completion.  “It [the aid] will confer international legitimacy and is the main element that enables the subsequent ‘military operation‘ [i.e. invasion]. Due to the sensitivity of the invasion, the IDF will coordinate with Egyptian intelligence and inform them when it will begin.

Step 1: Israel will facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the flow of trucks.

Step 2: provision of locations for critical infrastructure to which the population will be directed in Khan Yunis, including water sources, communication lines, etc.  To that end, the IDF has (purportedly) repaired the third water line running from Israel into Gaza.  It will provide “an additional 42 liters of water to 400,000 Gazans daily.”  This language assumes Gazans have any sources of water to begin with.   By its own figures, this equals .01% of a liter per person. Where will the rest of the daily water needs come from, when every bit of infrastructure has been destroyed, including water treatment plants and water lines? Remember, what the IDF claims and what is reality are almost always different.  Its assertions can never be trusted.

Provision of communication lines will allow for transmitting messages warning residents to evacuate and notifying them of humanitarian aid accessibility, and for coordinating the flow of aid truck traffic.

Step 3: access to health services for the population entering from Rafah; reconstruction of hospitals which had been sites of fighting against “terrorists;” and building 10 field hospitals prepared for incoming patients.

International aid organizations are supposedly rehabilitating Nasr and Al-Amal hospitals in Khan Yunis and restoring their medical facilities. There are no reports confirming this claim, of which I remain skeptical. The hospitals will operate with the “coordination of the IDF and international community.  How can a hospital function under the supervision of an army?  What international aid group would agree to such terms?]

The IDF claims there are six such field hospitals operating in Gaza, another claim for which I find no evidence.

Step 4: Israel purchased 40,000 tents and will provide shelters for “uprooted” [i.e. expelled] Gaza. Provision of the tents and the migration of Rafah refugees to them will be done “in coordination with international organizations.”  What NGO would participate in such an operation knowing it would facilitate genocide?

Finally, while it’s likely Israel will provide some of what it promises in this plan.  Not only will it not come close to delivering that’s outlined here, it cannot physically do it in the time allotted (several weeks between now and the invasion).  This is a delusional document meant for consumption of the US and international community, in the hopes that it will mollify them and dent any of the hostility the invasion will generate.  It may work in terms of quieting the anger of world leaders. But it will enrage the global Palestine solidarity movements. Nor will it fool the ICC, expected to issue arrest warrants (expected in the coming weeks) for Netanyahu and IDF commander in chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

I approached USAID and the State Department for comment. I will update when/if they respond.