In a controversial move, the United Arab Emirates plans to fund the construction of “Gaza’s first planned community” on the outskirts of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip. While the proposed community would provide residents with access to basic services like education, healthcare, and running water, there are concerns that this initiative could expand biometric surveillance and further entrench the occupation of Palestinian territories.
According to planning documents obtained by The Guardian, residents of the new community would be required to submit biometric data and undergo security vetting before being granted access. This has raised alarm bells among human rights advocates, who warn that such measures could perpetuate the “coercive environment” faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
“Israel’s deployment of biometric surveillance reinforces apartheid and the oppression of Palestinians by perpetuating a coercive environment intended to force Palestinians out of areas of strategic interest to Israeli authorities,” said Matt Mahmoudi, an assistant professor at the University of Cambridge and a researcher on AI and human rights at Amnesty International.
The planned community, which is being described as a “case study,” is part of a broader effort by the United States-led “Board of Peace” to oversee reconstruction efforts in Gaza following the devastating two-year war between Israel and Hamas in 2023-2025. The conflict left more than 70,000 Palestinians dead and destroyed three-quarters of the structures in Gaza.
Under the terms of the Trump-brokered peace agreement, Gaza is now divided into a “green zone” controlled by the Israeli military and a “red zone” effectively governed by Hamas. The initial reconstruction efforts are only slated for the Israeli-held half of Gaza, raising concerns about the further fragmentation of the Palestinian territories.
Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator, expressed skepticism about the Emirati-backed community being built, but said that the plan serves Israel’s political goals even without a single brick being laid.
“Without one brick being laid, it gives a further layer of permission to Israel clearing the area, and displacing or killing Palestinians in the process,” Levy said.
The UAE has contributed more than $1.8 billion in humanitarian aid to Gaza since October 2023, making it the largest donor to the embattled territory. However, the decision to fund a planned community that requires biometric data collection and security vetting has raised concerns about the UAE’s role in the ongoing conflict.
As the international community grapples with the immense task of rebuilding Gaza, the proposed Emirati-backed community has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over the future of the Palestinian territories and the rights of the people living within them.