Netanyahu, Katz Quietly Approve 'Green Rafah' Reconstruction Inside IDF-Held Gaza

Israeli media reported August 9–10, 2026 that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz quietly approved infrastructure and residential reconstruction work in 'Green Rafah,' an area of eastern Rafah under IDF control inside the Yellow Line, without publicly announcing the decision. The approval — made roughly two weeks earlier, around the same time as the decision to deploy a multinational stabilization force — permits contractors to carry out earthwork, electrical, water, and sewer projects to build temporary housing for Palestinians outside Hamas control. The Prime Minister's Office disputed the 'reconstruction' framing, saying the project is an Emirati-backed pilot for temporary housing that has been underway for months and that electricity, sewage, and water works are supervised by the Israeli military rather than Gaza-based contractors. The disclosure came the same day Netanyahu publicly rejected the Board of Peace's 15-point Gaza roadmap, underscoring a gap between his public rhetoric and quiet on-the-ground policy.