Peace Council Plans Pilot Project to Enable Gazans to Move Beyond Hamas Control

The Peace Council is advancing a pilot initiative aimed at allowing Palestinians in Gaza to relocate voluntarily to areas outside Hamas' control, sources familiar with the plan told N12. This move seeks to weaken Hamas' grip on Gaza's population without waiting for the group's disarmament, which remains stalled despite months of negotiations. Officials hope that by next winter, parts of Gaza's population will be able to move to designated zones along the so-called Yellow Line, beyond Hamas' authority.

The project aligns with Article 17 of former U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan and is awaiting final Israeli approval. Construction has already begun on a base in southern Gaza to house 500 to 1,000 members of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), alongside preparations for an Emirati-supported neighborhood. The IDF is actively clearing the pilot areas, which include Rafah as the first site, with additional locations identified away from Israeli borders and population centers.

Funded by the United States, Gulf states, and other countries, the initiative is not intended as Gaza's reconstruction but as a temporary improvement in living conditions, including better tents, caravans, and basic utilities. The ISF, comprising troops from Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and potentially others, will maintain order alongside local security personnel who will be unarmed and operate under ISF support. Screening mechanisms will prevent armed militants from entering these zones, with inspections conducted independently of the IDF.

Recently, Hamas announced dissolving its Government Emergency Committee and transferring civilian administration to a Technocrats Committee, a move met with skepticism by Israel and the Peace Council. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar criticized this as an attempt by Hamas to avoid disarmament while retaining military dominance. The Peace Council insists on "one authority, one law, one weapon," demanding full disarmament and security control by the Technocrats Committee before any governance transition.

Ali Shaath, head of the Technocrats Committee, emphasized that the committee will only assume governance once a unified security framework is established, indicating Hamas must fully relinquish weapons first. The Peace Council reaffirmed that negotiations continue but with no compromise on disarmament, which includes control over all arms and tunnel networks in Gaza. The pilot project represents a strategic step to reduce Hamas' control over civilians while improving humanitarian conditions, without initiating Gaza's reconstruction until full demilitarization is achieved.