The United States is moving forward with a plan to construct new housing compounds for Gazans inside Israeli-controlled areas of the Gaza Strip, which Washington hopes will create an alternative to Hamas rule but which faces massive logistical, political and humanitarian obstacles.

Dubbed “Alternative Safe Communities,” the compounds would initially house several thousand displaced Palestinians and eventually expand to accommodate 20,000 to 25,000 residents each, according to The New York Times, which spoke with 20 U.S., European and Israeli officials. The structures — more permanent than tents but still temporary — would resemble the container units used to shelter displaced Turkish families after a major earthquake in 2023.

The initiative is being driven by Aryeh Lightstone, a former senior Trump administration official now tasked with overseeing the effort. Lightstone reports directly to Jared Kushner and is in regular contact with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.

“This is the easiest way to get people into safe housing as soon as humanly possible,” Lightstone told the Times.

The plan emerges from the Trump administration’s broader postwar proposal, which has effectively split Gaza into a Hamas-controlled “red zone” in the west and an Israeli-controlled “green zone” in the east. With the ceasefire deal stalled over Hamas’s refusal to disarm — a requirement for the next phase — U.S. officials say there is little choice but to press ahead with a stopgap housing system.

Hamas has publicly denied any agreement to give up its weapons. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said last week the group only agreed to a ceasefire, border openings and increased aid — not disarmament.

The first compound will be built in Rafah, along the Egyptian border, where Israeli forces are expected to begin clearing operations within days. Officials say the build-out could cost tens of millions of dollars and that debris removal alone could take months, especially if crews encounter tunnel shafts, unexploded bombs or human remains.

Once cleared, construction of the temporary housing could be completed in six to nine weeks.

Officials concede the earliest residents will number only in the thousands — but say capacity will expand rapidly as additional units are installed.

A central tension in the plan is who will be allowed to live in the new compounds.

Israeli security officials are expected to conduct background checks on every applicant. European diplomats warn that these standards could exclude large segments of the population, including civil servants, medical workers, police officers and anyone related to Hamas members.

For Israel, the security filters are nonnegotiable.

“Israel absolutely must filter who’s coming in. If not, they’ll have Hamas inside,” said IDF Brig. Gen. (ret.) Amir Avivi, head of the Israel Defense & Security Forum (IDSF), a group representing more than 55,000 reservists.

Avivi argues the project is essential for stabilizing the Israeli-controlled zone and rewarding Gazans who have turned against Hamas. “This housing will be for those cooperating with Israel,” he said. “You need to take care of their families.”

The compounds are also designed to function as proof-of-concept communities, demonstrating what Gaza could look like without Hamas control. Schools would be run without indoctrination, and daily life administered by authorities aligned with the U.S.–Israel plan.

“This is part of dismantling Hamas as a governmental entity,” said Avivi. “The fewer Gazans near Hamas when Israel goes in to destroy the remaining terrorists, the better.”

According to officials, the Rafah location is strategic for another reason: it would provide a staging area for Gazans who want to leave the territory entirely. Under Trump’s 20-point plan, no one will be forced to leave Gaza, but those who wish to exit — and return — may do so.

Avivi said Israel intends to keep the Rafah crossing closed until the return of the remaining two hostages. Once they are freed, he predicts “many” Gazans will choose to depart.

The first compound is still months from completion, and the plan faces political blowback in Europe, skepticism inside Israel’s security establishment and logistical hurdles on the ground. But Washington appears determined to push forward. viewing the construction of alternative communities as one of the few levers it has while the ceasefire’s disarmament phase remains frozen.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)