The United States is quietly advancing a plan to divide the Gaza Strip into zones of control and begin constructing temporary housing for Palestinians in areas held by the IDF, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The reported initiative marks a shift in expectations around the dismantling of Hamas, which is formally listed as a second-phase objective under U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan but is not anticipated to happen soon.
Attempted escape by Hamas terrorists in Rafah
(Video: IDF)
According to the report, the U.S. plan would mark areas under Hamas control in red, while IDF-controlled zones would be marked green. Within these green zones—designated as areas beyond a “yellow line” demarcating Hamas influence—Washington is reportedly promoting the construction of so-called “alternative safe communities” for displaced Palestinians.
American officials told the Journal that engineering teams have already been dispatched to Gaza to begin planning the removal of rubble and unexploded ordnance in preparation for these new sites. While construction has not yet begun, the planned communities would provide temporary housing, education and healthcare facilities, including schools and hospitals, until more permanent rebuilding can take place.
The first such site is slated for Rafah, a southern Gazan city largely controlled by the IDF in recent months. Despite ongoing fighting with Hamas terrorists still entrenched in underground tunnel networks there, Israeli forces maintain operational control above ground. Some Hamas operatives reportedly surfaced from the tunnels on Friday; several were killed and others captured, according to military sources. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday that all remaining terrorists in Rafah would either be eliminated or forced to surrender.
Sources in both Israel and the U.S. confirmed to the Journal that the Rafah site is being considered as the pilot location for the first temporary settlement.
The initiative comes amid international debate about the feasibility of rebuilding Gaza while Hamas remains in power. The Journal noted that no potential donor country has expressed willingness to fund reconstruction in Hamas-held areas.
Arab states, according to the report, have also raised objections to the division of Gaza into de facto zones of control and the establishment of Israeli-overseen housing. Egypt in particular is reportedly concerned about a potential spillover from Rafah into the Sinai Peninsula and has warned against any move that might encourage displacement across the border.
The U.S.-backed plan remains in its early stages, and its implementation will likely depend on continued military developments and political coordination between Israel, the U.S. and regional actors.
Who will do the screening?
A major question mark looms over the issue of security in the planned temporary communities in Gaza. It remains unclear how the U.S.-supported initiative would ensure that only innocent civilians, rather than Hamas terrorists, enter these zones.
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Hamas teams searching for the remains of hostages in Gaza City
(Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
One idea, according to the report, is to involve local militias in Gaza that have been armed by Israel. These militias enjoy Israeli support, and according to both Israeli and Arab sources, this was one of the proposals under discussion.
Some of these groups—such as the one led by Yasser Abu Shabab—already operate de facto communities in areas under their control. Abu Shabab, for instance, reportedly runs a school and shops selling basic goods. “We are open to cooperating with all parties that seek peace and stability in Gaza,” he told the Journal.
However, a U.S. official cited in the report said Washington is not currently considering using these militias, noting that some of their members are viewed as criminals and are unlikely to be effective against Hamas if confrontation arises.
Instead, U.S. sources expressed hope that Hamas-controlled zones will “shrink” over time and eventually disappear. In such a scenario, an international stabilization force (ISF), backed by a UN Security Council mandate, would take over security responsibilities in Gaza, working alongside a Palestinian police force. During the interim period, the Trump administration’s proposed Board of Peace would oversee civil governance and reconstruction in the enclave, with long-term control eventually handed to a Palestinian governing body.
The arms dilemma
Hamas, for its part, continues to reject the entire proposal, denouncing it as “international trusteeship” over Gaza that severs it from the Palestinian people. The group rejected this week’s UN Security Council resolution endorsing the plan, calling it “an attempt to impose a new order serving foreign interests, and harming the rights of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation and to manage the fate of Gaza themselves.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad also condemned the resolution, saying it “eliminates the prospect of resistance and turns humanitarian aid into a political lever, while infringing on basic rights enshrined in international law.”
The resolution passed by the Security Council includes a provision empowering the international stabilization force to disarm Hamas. That is also Israel’s expectation. But Hamas has declared it will not hand over its weapons to any foreign entity—posing a serious challenge for any state wary of direct confrontation with the group.
Israeli officials acknowledge that no Arab or Muslim soldier is likely to open fire on Hamas and that, at best, such forces may be limited to performing police duties.
Earlier this week, ynet reported that Hamas had approached the Palestinian Authority seeking help on the weapons issue. According to sources in Gaza, Hamas proposed transferring its weapons to the PA—not for disarmament, but for storage under PA custody.
“They asked the Palestinian Authority to open a dialogue and consider storing the weapons. They don’t intend to hand them over or destroy them,” the sources said.
PA officials believe the chances of such a scenario are slim. Some have suggested that Hamas may be trying to mislead the PA or draw it into a scheme that would ultimately serve the interests of the terrorist group.