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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz “quietly” approved reconstruction work in an area under Israeli army control in eastern Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Sunday.
Without a public announcement, Netanyahu and Katz approved “infrastructure works in ‘Green Rafah,’ in eastern Rafah, to establish a residential project for Palestinians outside Hamas control,” Army Radio reported.
“Green Rafah” is an area controlled by the Israeli army within the so-called Yellow Line, which separates areas occupied by Israel from zones where Palestinians are allowed to move.
Army Radio said the area has been “completely leveled and cleared and is currently empty” and would be “under the control of a multinational force.”
“The infrastructure works that have now been given the green light will allow contractors and workers to enter the area and carry out excavation work and connect electricity, water and sewage systems,” the report said.
“The contractors and workers who will operate in the area are Palestinians from Gaza,” the outlet reported, citing Israeli security sources.
The sources said the workers are undergoing security screening by the Shin Bet security agency to obtain approval to enter areas along the Yellow Line.
They are expected to begin work within weeks or shortly afterward, according to the report.
Netanyahu’s office told Army Radio that the report “distorts the facts and republishes outdated information.”
The office said the project is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) pilot initiative that has been underway for several months.
“The electricity, sewage and water works will not be carried out by contractors from Gaza but will be supervised by the Israeli army,” it added.
Israel has waged a war in Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000, most of them women and children.
The campaign has devastated about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.
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