The United States has begun outlining a long-term framework for a divided Gaza that would create a protected “green zone” under Israeli and international military control while leaving a separate “red zone” where almost all Palestinians have been displaced and where no reconstruction is currently planned. The proposal, revealed through senior U.S. and allied officials speaking to The Guardian, signals a shift in Washington’s postwar planning and suggests the conflict’s territorial map may remain fractured for years.
Gaza’s population has been almost entirely pushed from the northern and central regions into southern areas now classified by planners as the red zone. The model being discussed divides the enclave into two distinct territories. The green zone would be a militarily secured area where reconstruction and aid operations could begin under heavy guard. The red zone would consist of destroyed districts that remain uninhabitable and outside the scope of immediate rebuilding, reflecting a reality shaped by displacement and continuing insecurity.
U.S. officials familiar with the plan described it as a stabilisation blueprint aimed at containing renewed fighting, preventing militant regrouping, and creating controlled corridors for humanitarian work. Israel would retain a dominant security role in the green zone, supported by international partners that may include Western militaries and regional states aligned through existing security agreements. While no deployment list has been finalised, discussions have involved contributions from European and Arab states with prior peacekeeping experience.
The concept mirrors earlier U.S. post-conflict frameworks seen in Iraq and Syria, where secure enclaves were created to facilitate reconstruction while surrounding areas remained contested or inaccessible. Officials argue the approach is necessary due to the scale of urban destruction in Gaza and the unresolved security threat posed by Hamas cells operating in dispersed pockets. Critics counter that the model effectively formalises a partition of Gaza and leaves displaced civilians with no clear path back to their homes.
