Displacement deepens as Israeli forces push Palestinians into shrinking space

Concerns of ethnic cleansing in Gaza endure as Israeli forces continue to push Palestinians into an ever-smaller fraction of the territory, causing recurrent displacement while destroying the remaining civilian infrastructure and attacking displacement sites.

Palestinians in Gaza are surrounded by Israeli forces from all sides that continue to push them inwards with the stated aim of increasing the Israeli military deployment area to 70% of Gaza’s territory. The relentless contraction of space available to civilians comes with new displacement drivers in areas adjacent to Israeli forces’ deployment lines, commonly known as the “yellow line”.

Over the past two weeks, the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has documented the westward expansion of Israeli military deployment areas triggering new displacement of Palestinians in Al Shujaiyeh, Gaza City, and in eastern Al Bureij, eastern Deir al Balah and eastern Al Maghazi, Middle Gaza. In Al Shujaiyeh, Israeli forces’ westward push came with at least two Israeli attacks reported on displacement encampments, and detonations of the few buildings left standing in the area with the reported use of explosive robots.

According to reports received by UN Human Rights Office - OPT, an Israeli drone dropped munitions on tents sheltering displaced families at Al Shujaiyeh junction near the so-called yellow line on 25 October, setting tents on fire burnt for nearly five hours. The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza said the fire displaced 200 families comprising 800 people, most of them women, children and elderly persons.

“The nightmare of displacement in Gaza is both acute and chronic,” said Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights - OPT. “Those displaced before the announcement of a ceasefire have little to no prospect of return to the areas they fled, most of which are inaccessible because they fall beyond the so-called yellow line. And they continue to be displaced again and again.”

As an occupying power, Israel must cease the forcible transfer of Palestinians within the Gaza strip, a war crime that may also amount to a crime against humanity. Israel must facilitate the Palestinians’ safe and dignified return to their homes and the areas they fled. Instead, Israeli military operations have displaced nearly everyone in Gaza multiple times, laid to waste the infrastructure needed to support civilian life, and damaged or destroyed over 80% of all buildings and structures according to the United Nations Satellite Centre.

Today, Israeli forces appear to treat the yellow line as a kill zone, preventing Palestinians from returning to what is left of their homes on the other side. The displacement crisis is exacerbated by the restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities on the entry of shelter-related humanitarian assistance. And Israeli bombardment never ceased, even a year after the announcement of a ceasefire, while Palestinian families remained trapped in inadequate shelters, struggling to secure their most basic needs and deprived of their rights.

“There must be an end to this suffering. This is the fourth year of displacement for most Palestinians in Gaza, the fourth winter in tents too flimsy to withstand the rain, and they are still under fire through it all,” said Sunghay. “Let this be the last.”