Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz “quietly” approved the reconstruction of an area under army control in eastern Rafah, southern Gaza, according to Israeli media on Sunday.
Without a public announcement, Netanyahu and Katz approved “infrastructure works in ‘Green Rafah,’ in eastern Rafah, to establish a residential project for Palestinians outside Hamas control,” Army Radio said.
“Green Rafah” is an area controlled by the Israeli army within the so-called Yellow Line separating areas occupied by Israel from zones where Palestinians are allowed to move.
The area has been “completely leveled and cleared and is currently empty" and will be “under the control of a multinational force,” the radio said.
"The infrastructure works that have now been given the green light will allow contractors and workers to enter the area and carry out excavation work and connect electricity, water and sewage systems," the report said.
“The contractors and workers who will operate in the area are Palestinians from Gaza,” the outlet said, citing Israeli security sources.
"They are currently undergoing security screening by the Shin Bet security agency to obtain approval to enter areas along the Yellow Line. They are expected to begin work within weeks, or shortly thereafter,” the sources stated.
Pilot initiative
Netanyahu’s office, however, told the radio that the report “distorts the facts and republishes outdated information.”
The project is a UAE pilot initiative that has been underway for several months, the office claimed.
"The electricity, sewage and water works will not be carried out by contractors from Gaza but will be supervised by the Israeli army," it added.
The Israeli army has launched a genocidal war in Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000, most of them women and children, while devastating about 90 percent of the enclave's infrastructure.
