8 Jul, 2025 16:11

Israel plans to move Gaza population to single ‘humanitarian city’ – defense minister

The Palestinians will not be allowed to leave the camp except for “voluntarily” emigrating to other countries, Israel Katz says

Israel is preparing to establish aso-called “humanitarian city” on the ruins of Rafahin the southern Gaza Strip, where thePalestinian enclave’s entire population is to be moved, the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, has announced. Critics of the initiativepromptly branded the “city” an internment campand warned of potentially widespread human rights abuse.

The “humanitarian city” is expected to initially accommodate some 600,000 Palestinians – primarily displaced persons living in the coastal Mawasi area to the northwest of Rafah, Katz told reporters on Monday. Eventually,all of the estimated 2.2 million Gazans will be placed into the “city,” which is to be secured by the Israeli militaryfrom a distance and run by unspecified international organizations, the minister stated.

The Palestinians will undergo screening before being placed into the “city” to ensure no Hamas operatives slip in, Katz noted. The scheme is ultimately designed to displace the entire Gaza population and encourage it to “voluntarily emigrate” from the enclave elsewhere, the minister admitted.Those who end up in the zone will not be allowed to return to other parts of Gaza, he added.

The defense ministry has already begun planning for the zone, according to Katz. However, the country’s authorities have made no public statements on the scheme or said whether it has actually been approved. It also remains unclear when the plan would be put into motion.

The proposed “humanitarian city” has been criticized by human rights advocates and activists, who have branded it an internal camp and warned of potential abuses. Michael Sfard, a leading Israeli human rights lawyer,called the proposed scheme “an operational plan for a crime against humanity.”

“While the government still calls the deportation ‘voluntary,’ people in Gaza are under so many coercive measures that no departure from the strip can be seen in legal terms as consensual,”Sfard told the Guardian.

The “humanitarian city” plan comes after Israel rejected Hamas’ proposed changes to a Gaza ceasefire deal. The Palestinian militant group reportedly wanted the agreement to ensure a permanent truce and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The conflict between Hamas and Israel began in October of 2023, when the group launched a surprise assault in the south of the country. The initial attack left some 1,200 people dead, with around 250 taken hostage.

Some 50 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Fewer than half are believed to be alive. Over the past 21 months, Israel’s military response, which has involved heavy aerial and artillery bombardments, as well as ground operations in the Strip, has killed at least 57,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the local health ministry.

https://www.rt.com/news/621192-israel-gaza-displacement-plan/

8 Jul, 2025 18:25

Ukraine silent about new peace talks – Kremlin

Kiev has yet to respond with proposed dates for the next round of negotiations, according to Moscow

Moscow is waiting for Kiev to confirm a date for the next round of direct peace talks, the Kremlin says.

The two sides have held two rounds of negotiations in Türkiye so far, reviving a process that Kiev withdrew from in 2022 to pursue military victory with Western assistance. At their most recent meeting in June, Russian and Ukrainian delegates exchanged draft proposals outlining their visions for a potential peace deal and agreed to carry out further prisoner exchanges. Kiev has recently admitted that it had agreed to resume the peace talks partly to deflect pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Asked by reporters on Tuesdaywhether there had been any progress on setting a date for the third round, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied:“No.”

“As the [Russian] president [Vladimir Putin] said last week, we are waiting for a proposal from the Ukrainian side on possible dates,” he stated, adding that the Kremlin would inform the public immediately if that happened.

Putin has repeatedly confirmed Russia’s readiness to continue negotiations, including in public statements and a recent call with US President Donald Trump, according to the Kremlin. He said recently that the next round should center on proposed agreements to resolve the conflict.

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhiy told local media that Kiev had returned to diplomacy with Russia “to prevent anyone from accusing Ukraine of being the side that doesn’t want peace.” He claimed such move helps deflect accusations, “even among allied countries,” that Kiev opposes Trump’s efforts to mediate a truce.

Since taking office in January, Trump has pushed for a negotiated settlement. Kiev has claimed that Moscow is not acting in good faith due to its refusal to accept an unconditional ceasefire. Russia says any pause would simply allow Ukraine to regroup. Moscow insists it is open to talks “without preconditions,” but maintains that any lasting deal must reflect current battlefield realities and require neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification for Ukraine.

Putin told Trump last week that while Russia is open for dialogue, it will not back down from eliminating “the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs.”

Several POW exchanges have taken place since the June 2 talks. Russia has returned the remains of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and received 57 in return. Moscow said it is ready to transfer the remains of 3,000 more Ukrainian soldiers if Kiev agrees to accept them.

https://www.rt.com/russia/621203-russia-ukraine-peace-talks/