‘Board of Peace’ to launch ‘Hamas-free’ camps as Israel tightens grip on Gaza
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 2026
Middle East Eye reports on 1 July 2026:
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.”
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.