Diplomatic sources have revealed a recent agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the Israeli government, under which Abu Dhabi will finance projects in southern Gaza—channelled through the Emirati Red Crescent—to prepare shelter areas intended for forced displacement.
According to analysts, this agreement is part of a joint Israeli–Emirati plan to turn southern Gaza into a containment zone for new waves of displaced Palestinians. With northern and central Gaza devastated after 22 months of Israeli aggression, this arrangement is seen as a prelude to a larger crime of mass expulsion outside the Strip.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that Ron Dermer, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, led a high-level delegation on a secret visit to Abu Dhabi in recent days, where he met with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed and his senior aides.
The meetings focused on Gaza and discussed so-called “humanitarian projects,” which in reality carry a clear geopolitical dimension—facilitating Israel’s strategy of forced displacement.
The Timing: War and Massacre
The visit came at a critical moment, as Gaza endured a genocidal war that has left tens of thousands of civilians—mostly women and children—dead. At the same time, Israel continued to threaten a major ground operation in Gaza City and the central Strip.
Despite mounting international condemnation, the UAE has chosen to deepen normalisation and expand its alliance with Israel. Observers describe this as full alignment with the joint Israeli–American project in the region.
UAE-Funded Projects in Gaza
While marketed as humanitarian relief, the projects unveiled in recent days reveal political objectives that go far beyond aid:
Field Hospital in Rafah
Israel and the UAE announced an agreement to establish a field hospital run by the Emirati Red Crescent in Rafah. It is meant to serve tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians. However, with Israel overseeing its operation, questions arise over whether it will be used as part of the plan to manage and redistribute Gaza’s population.
Water Supply for Al-Mawasi
Another project involves supplying the Al-Mawasi area, now hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, with 15–20 liters of water per person per day—covering roughly 600,000 people. The project is being carried out under direct Israeli security supervision, making it an instrument of control over displaced civilians and their daily survival.
Far from genuine relief, these projects are political tools—designed to entrench forced displacement and redraw Gaza’s demographic map under occupation terms.
The Politics Behind “Humanitarian Projects”
Israel seeks to portray itself as a responder to Palestinian suffering. In truth, it is the primary architect of Gaza’s catastrophe.
By permitting Emirati-funded projects under its security oversight, Israel gains political cover, marketing itself as a “partner in solutions” while it continues its siege, starvation policies, and indiscriminate killing.
For its part, the UAE assumes the role of financier and media promoter, using its official institutions and propaganda outlets to frame these projects as “humanitarian initiatives.” Absent, however, is any acknowledgment that these steps are coordinated with Israel and serve its displacement agenda.
Al-Mawasi: A “Temporary Stability Corridor”
Under Israel’s design, Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza has been transformed into a so-called “temporary stability corridor” for displaced Palestinians expelled from the north and center.
The Emirati initiatives reinforce this reality by providing the bare minimum of services, ensuring that the population remains trapped there in the medium term. This setup could pave the way for a deeper division of Gaza into fragmented zones, each tightly controlled by Israeli forces.
This trajectory cannot be separated from repeated Israeli statements about “reorganising Gaza’s population reality”—plans that include emptying entire areas and relocating residents under direct military control.
UAE as a Partner in Displacement
The agreement represents a dangerous shift in the UAE’s role: from being a normalisation partner to becoming an active enabler of Israel’s agenda inside Gaza.
The Emirati Red Crescent—supposedly a humanitarian institution—is functioning under a security framework supervised by Abu Dhabi. This allows it to move beyond relief work into the service of Israel’s political engineering on the ground.
Analysts note that this step is the culmination of a long process of coordination since the 2020 Abraham Accords. What began with economic and trade cooperation has now evolved into security and political partnership—culminating in direct participation in reshaping the Palestinian reality.
Regional Consequences
This trajectory threatens not only Palestine but the wider region. The Emirati role is increasingly seen as part of a regional alignment led by the U.S. and Israel, one that seeks to reorder Middle Eastern priorities at the expense of Palestinian rights.
Strengthening the UAE-Israel alliance amid a genocidal war on Gaza sends a devastating message to Arab publics, who view these moves as a betrayal of historic commitments to Palestine.
The media dimension plays a central role. Official Emirati coverage insists on portraying Abu Dhabi as a humanitarian savior, while ignoring the fact that these projects are carried out under Israeli coordination and security supervision. In this way, propaganda becomes a tool to whitewash occupation policies, helping Israel evade accountability for its crimes.
A Partner in Crime
Amid growing warnings of Israel’s calculated strategy to pave the ground for mass expulsion, the UAE has emerged as a direct partner in the occupation’s agenda—providing funding, media promotion, and political cover. The price is borne by Palestinians alone, who continue to face bombardment, starvation, and now the specter of permanent displacement.
