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 told N12. This plan, aligned with Article 17 of former U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, seeks to weaken Hamas by reducing its civilian authority rather than rebuilding Gaza. Officials hope to begin the project by next winter, enabling a significant portion of Gaza's population to seek shelter beyond Hamas' influence along the so-called Yellow Line.

Negotiations with Hamas over full disarmament have stalled, as Hamas refuses to demilitarize. Consequently, the Peace Council and Israel are preparing to proceed without Hamas' consent. Construction has started on a base in southern Gaza to accommodate the first 500 to 1,000 members of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), with engineering work underway for an Emirati-supported neighborhood. The project includes clearing unexploded ordnance and preparing infrastructure such as basic electricity and water. Rafah is expected to be the initial pilot site, with other locations identified away from Israeli borders.

The initiative is financed by the United States, Gulf states, and other countries, not Israel. It aims to provide temporary improved living conditions, including caravans and better tents, but is not considered Gaza's reconstruction. The ISF, comprising troops from Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan under U.S. military supervision, will maintain order alongside local security personnel who will be unarmed but supported by the ISF. Screening mechanisms will prevent armed militants from entering these areas, with inspections conducted independently of the IDF.

Recently, Hamas announced dissolving its Government Emergency Committee and transferring civilian administration to a Technocrats Committee. However, Israeli officials and the Peace Council remain skeptical, viewing this as a tactic to avoid disarmament while maintaining military control. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar criticized the move as an attempt to replicate Hezbollah's model, emphasizing that Gaza's demilitarization remains a non-negotiable condition for peace.

The Peace Council insists on "one authority, one law, one weapon," demanding full control over all arms by the Technocrats Committee before any governance transition. Ali Shaath, head of the Technocrats Committee, confirmed that their entry into Gaza depends on establishing a unified security framework, indicating no governance without Hamas' full disarmament. Negotiations continue, but the Council and Israel are firm on complete disarmament as essential for progress.