Report: Trump's Board of Peace plans pilot Gaza 'humanitarian zone'

AI Summary

Trump's Board of Peace plans to establish a pilot humanitarian zone in Rafah, Gaza, to accommodate vetted Palestinian civilians with security provided by multinational troops, though concerns about compatibility with international humanitarian law remain.

Report: Trump's Board of Peace plans pilot Gaza 'humanitarian zone' Tens of thousands of vetted Palestinian civilians will be accommodated in a planned zone in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, AFP reported, citing an official. The zone could act as a "starting point" for the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to assume the day-to-day governance of Gaza's transitional phase under Trump's 20-point plan. The zone would be secured by multinational troops from the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a fledgling body that operates under the "Board of Peace". The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the group of Palestinian technocrats established by the board, would carry out screening and access control, supported by the ISF. Diplomats and NGO officials working in Gaza have told AFP on condition of anonymity that such a mechanism seems to them to be incompatible with international humanitarian law. Movement in and out "will remain free for all unarmed civilians", a board official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "A screening mechanism will ensure that armed individuals and militants cannot enter these safe humanitarian zones," he said.  A Palestinian boy plays in a giant container filled with water next to a cistern at a displacement camp in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, on 6 July 2026 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)