Olmert Warns Netanyahu’s “Humanitarian City” in Gaza Would Become a Forced‑Labour Camp

Tuesday, July 15, 2025  Read time1 min

SAEDNEWS: According to Saed News, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has condemned his successor’s proposal to build a so‑called “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, likening the plan to the establishment of a forced‑labour camp rather than a genuine relief effort.

Olmert Warns Netanyahu’s “Humanitarian City” in Gaza Would Become a Forced‑Labour Camp

According to Saed News, Olmert’s unprecedented comparison breaks a longstanding taboo in Israel regarding parallels to Nazi atrocities. Speaking to CNN, the 2006–2009 prime minister warned that relocating more than half of Gaza’s population into a restricted zone constructed atop the ruins of Rafah would serve not to rescue Palestinians but to expedite their expulsion and ethnic cleansing.

“This isn’t about saving lives,” Olmert argued. “When you build a camp intended to ‘cleanse’ more than fifty percent of Gaza, the inescapable interpretation is that the aim is deportation — to drive them out and cast them aside.”

Last week, Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military to advance plans for this enclave, promising that once Palestinians are transferred there, they will be barred from leaving and that broader migration from Gaza will soon follow. Though the scheme reportedly requires months of construction and billions of dollars, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded a faster, more cost‑effective rollout.

The proposal has drawn fierce criticism at home and abroad. Opposition leader Yair Lapid decried it as an attempt to placate hard‑right coalition partners and urged an immediate end to hostilities and the return of hostages. Human‑rights attorney Michael Sfard told CNN the plan amounts to “forced population transfer in preparation for deportation” and warned it could constitute a war crime or crime against humanity if carried out at scale.

According to Palestinians’ health ministry figures, more than 58,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began.