Report: IDF plan sees Gazan civilians moved into 3 areas of Strip separated by military-controlled zones

The Israel Defense Forces plans to move civilians in Gaza into three strips of land separated and bookended by four zones controlled by the military if a ceasefire is not reached in the coming days, London’s Sunday Times reports.

The British news outlet says it has seen a map that was leaked by diplomats who were briefed on the proposal.

According to the report, the map shows military areas in the north, center and south of the Palestinian enclave, with civilian zones sandwiched in between.

The veracity of the map is not confirmed nor denied by the IDF to the newspaper.

The report says foreign companies assigned to distribute and manage humanitarian support, which were also briefed on the plan, say that if implemented, it would prevent the free movement of Palestinians between different areas of Gaza.

The map also shows up to 12 locations that appear to be distribution points for humanitarian aid.

In an attempt to get around the Hamas terror group, which Israel says has been seizing humanitarian aid meant for civilians, Israeli officials have been closely involved in the establishment of a new organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), advancing a new initiative where aid will only be distributed from a small number of sites in southern Gaza that are secured by American contractors.

Aid organizations currently operating in Gaza have come out strongly against the GHF plan, arguing that it violates humanitarian principles, forces mass displacement of Palestinians who aren’t currently living near the humanitarian zone, ignores vulnerable populations, and doesn’t adequately address the humanitarian crisis.

Aid hasn’t entered Gaza since March 1, with Israel arguing that sufficient humanitarian assistance entered the Strip during a six-week ceasefire and that Hamas has been stealing much of that aid. In recent weeks, though, some officials in the Israel Defense Forces have begun warning the political echelon that the enclave is on the brink of starvation.