JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL 

The Israeli government has suspended a plan to set up a detention camp for Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, local media said on Monday.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing a senior security official, said the plan to accommodate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in a so-called “humanitarian city,” has been halted.

“There is no decision to move forward, and no alternative plan on the table,” the unnamed official said.

He added that political leaders had expected a hostage deal that would involve a withdrawal from southern Gaza.

“It looks like they backed away from this move for now. The plan has been shelved,” he said.

Israel has unveiled a plan to relocate Gaza’s entire population to what it called a “humanitarian city” in Rafah, and from there, they will be allowed to emigrate from Gaza to other countries.

According to the newspaper, Israeli authorities allegedly decided to increase the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza to around 150 daily, citing “disturbing images” from the enclave.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli government of the media report.

On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had allowed limited airdrops of aid into Gaza and declared what it called a “tactical pause” in certain areas to permit aid deliveries.

International organizations dismissed the move as a “smokescreen,” accusing Israel of continuing to weaponize hunger by keeping Gaza’s crossings shut since March.

Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harrowing footage shows severely emaciated residents, some reduced to skin and bone, collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration, and prolonged starvation.

Despite the severe shortages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted he was allowing only the “minimum level” of aid, while accusing the United Nations of “spreading lies” about the situation.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2, has shut down all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.