‘Board of Peace’ to launch ‘Hamas-free’ camps as Israel tightens grip on Gaza
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Wed, 07/01/2026 - 11:29
Israel Hayom reports the pilot site is set to be Tel Sultan, near Rafah, where civilians 'with no weapons or affiliation with Hamas' will be policed by a multinational force
A crane hoists a vehicle at the Logistics Support Area, in a location given as near the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, in this handout picture released 30 June (Board of Peace/Reuters)
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US President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace is set to launch “Hamas-free humanitarian zones” in Gaza where Palestinians will be herded while the Israeli military expands its control on the rest of the territory, Israeli media is reporting.
Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the first site will open in Tel Sultan, near Rafah, “within weeks”, and house civilians “with no weapons or affiliation with Hamas”.
It added that the zone will be policed by a “multinational force”, known as the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which will be equipped with “non-lethal weapons” and operate from the Israeli Amitai Camp near Gaza under the command of the board.
According to the report, while aid and temporary housing will be supplied to the areas, Board of Peace officials have pledged not to import concrete into Gaza.
The newspaper further reported that the board is seeking to establish “large logistics warehouses that will serve its efforts to regulate the humanitarian shelters, including in communities near the border fence”, and has begun identifying sites for this purpose.
Meanwhile, it said that the Israeli army will continue expanding and consolidating its grip beyond the so-called “Yellow Line” - an area that Israel was expected to hold temporarily in the first stage of the ceasefire but has refused to relinquish as it has not proceeded with the second stage of the deal, which requires its withdrawal.
The buffer zone now encompasses about 70 percent of the territory.
An unnamed official told Israel Hayom: “We are manoeuvring within the American constraints, increasing the pace of targeted killings while remaining below the threshold of international criticism - and this will continue as long as Hamas is unwilling to disarm.”
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The Board of Peace was established in January at Trump's initiative as part of efforts to reach a settlement in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the board announced that the first “tactical vehicles” had arrived at the ISF base.
“Tactical vehicles arrive at Logistics Support Area: Endurance,” the board wrote on X, alongside photographs showing the arrival.
Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson, said the group hoped the move would mark “the beginning of implementing the tasks assigned to them”, including separating Palestinians in Gaza from Israeli forces and working to halt Israeli violations.
“We call on the Board of Peace to begin the actual implementation of the provisions of the plan to end the war on Gaza,” Qassem said.
Drop Site news reported in January that satellite imagery analysed by Forensic Architecture revealed Israeli forces razing land and compacting the ground in Rafah. According to the report, the scale of this activity was not visible anywhere else east of the Yellow Line.
In July last year, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz unveiled plans to corral the entire population of Gaza into a “humanitarian city” near Rafah, where they would be subjected to security screening and barred from leaving.
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