The Trump administration is advocating for the swift construction of residential compounds in areas of Israeli-controlled Gaza that would provide housing to Palestinians in the enclave, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Citing interviews with 20 US, Israeli and European officials, the newspaper said the compounds would be known as “alternative safe communities,” with each housing 20,000 to 25,000 Gazans. The compounds, which will be composed of temporary structures, will include medical clinics and educational facilities.
The report’s core details were first revealed by The Times of Israel at the beginning of this month, when Arab diplomats relayed that one of the main proposals presented to potential Gulf donor countries had envisioned the construction of roughly half a dozen residential regions in the eastern half of the Strip, which is currently under Israeli control.
Indeed, reports have emerged of Israeli airstrikes hitting Rafah’s Jneineh neighborhood, accompanied by early but unconfirmed claims that the strikes targeted a tunnel where dozens of Hamas operatives have been besieged for weeks. What’s also becoming increasingly clear is that Hamas’ once-vaunted tunnel network is collapsing under the weight of dwindling supplies and unrelenting IDF pressure, with trapped fighters surfacing in desperation only to be killed or captured. In eastern Rafah, now firmly under IDF control, troops have found the bodies of nine operatives—another stark indication that the group’s underground strongholds are eroding as Israeli attacks continue.
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