'Humanitarian islands': how will Israel's plan for Rafah civilians work?

Israel is to direct a "significant" number of the 1.4 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza city of Rafah to so-called "humanitarian islands", ahead of a military offensive aimed at destroying Hamas's final stronghold.

Designated zones in Deir el-Balah Governorate, which covers 56 square km in central Gaza, will provide temporary housing, food, water and other necessities, Israel's chief military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said on Wednesday.

The area around Rafah, near Gaza's southern border with Egypt, has become the epicentre of fighting in recent weeks. Israel claims the region is home to four Hamas battalions and therefore key to freeing the remaining Israeli hostages. It is also the main entry point for aid into the coastal enclave.

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What did the commentators say?

The "once-sleepy" city of Rafah was "deemed a 'safe zone' for displaced civilians" fleeing fighting in the north, said Al Jazeera. The population has increased five-fold since the 7 October Hamas attacks, with most of the new arrivals living in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

UN officials have warned that an attack on the densely populated area – which holds more than half of Gaza's entire population – will be catastrophic, with more than 600,000 children in the path of an assault.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a Rafah offensive is crucial to achieve Israel's stated aim of destroying Hamas, but the fate of the Palestinian civilians living there has become a "major area of concern of Israel's allies – including the United States – and humanitarian groups", said Al Arabiya.

The US has been particularly "firm" with Israel over its concerns about Rafah, said the Daily Mail. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that protecting and aiding civilians must be "job number one" for Israel as it looks to wipe out Hamas.

The US and fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt failed to broker an extended ceasefire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began this week. USA Today said the Joe Biden administration "has pressed Israel to devise a workable strategy" to spare civilians in Rafah from the violence that, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, has left more than 31,000 dead and 73,000 injured in Gaza since the start of the war.

But there have also been "contradictory statements" coming from the White House, said Al Jazeera. President Biden said over the weekend that any invasion of Rafah would be a "red line", before reiterating that he would never "leave Israel" or "cut off all weapons" to the US ally.

Amid mounting international pressure on Israel to ensure the safety of Palestinians in and around Rafah, Hagari stressed that any "humanitarian islands" will be carried out in coordination with international actors.

Yet humanitarian groups remain highly sceptical of Israel's plans. They point to designated safe zones where evacuees were directed at the start of the war, in a slice of undeveloped land along Gaza's Mediterranean coast. Aid groups say that there were no real plans in place to receive large numbers of displaced people and that Israeli strikes still targeted the area.

What's next?

Israel has not revealed when the offensive in Rafah will begin, nor when the evacuation will occur. Announcing the "humanitarian islands" plan, Hagari said only that Israel wanted the timing to be right operationally and to be coordinated with neighbouring Egypt, which has said it does not want an influx of displaced Palestinians crossing its border.

Israel had issued an ultimatum to Hamas that it would invade Rafah by the start of Ramadan unless the group released the remaining hostages. That deadline passed on Sunday, but "hints" from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant suggest it could come soon, said The Times of Israel.

"The conclusion is that there is no safe place in Gaza for terrorists," Gallant said while visiting Gaza City. "Even those who think that we are delaying will soon see that we will reach everyone."