Israel has transformed an expanded zone in Rafah, southern Gaza, into a de facto open-air prison for Palestinian refugees, erecting concrete barriers, watchtowers, and razor wire around displacement camps housing tens of thousands since January 2026.
Retired General Amir Avivi confirmed plans for a massive "organized camp" with facial recognition checkpoints under full military control, as satellite imagery shows 1.3 sq km leveled next to IDF bases.
Gaza analysts call it a "human sorting mechanism" to filter, interrogate, and deter returns, with no free movement; critics slam it as ethnic filtering disguised as post-ceasefire "reconstruction." Netanyahu's office insists on "demilitarization" first, keeping 58% of Gaza under IDF oversight while trapping families who fled northern operations.
