Repeated strikes in densely populated areas of Gaza where Palestinian civilians have been ordered to flee demonstrate that Israel’s unlawful relocation directives have failed to protect or offer any guarantees of safety for Palestinians, highlights the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Last night’s attacks on Al-Mawasi took place on an area where civilians were told to flee as part of a ‘humanitarian zone’ unilaterally declared by Israel. This area, where civilians killed in Monday’s strikes were seeking shelter, is now reduced to around 13 per cent of Gaza and has a population density of more than 30,000 people per square kilometre.
“Images of metres-deep craters burying dozens of tents where children and their families slept moments earlier are horrifying. For 11 months, Israel has been forcing Palestinians in Gaza to flee from place to place without offering them genuine assurances of safety, proper accommodation or return once hostilities end. The events of last night provide further evidence that there is no safe place in Gaza and that only a ceasefire will prevent further loss of life,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC.
The attack comes as long-standing restrictions continue to cripple aid operations in Gaza. For example, in recent weeks, NRC teams, who had been aiding thousands of displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, were forced to relocate to Al-Mawasi following Israeli relocation directives covering areas within a few hundred metres of NRC facilities. They returned to the NRC premises in Deir al-Balah after nine days of disruptions, following Israel’s first-ever reversal of its directives since the escalation began.
“My colleagues in Gaza are determined to continue to support stricken populations, but how can they do that when they themselves are being displaced time and time again? These conditions force us to constantly develop contingencies to remain operational, depriving us of time and resources that we should be devoting to serving the local population,” said Egeland.
In August alone, Israel issued 16 relocation directives in Gaza, displacing around 260,000 Palestinians—many of whom had already been forcibly displaced multiple times.
Conditions in Gaza continue to worsen, partly driven by restrictions placed on aid. An NRC assessment of 62 sites hosting over 129,500 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis found that some sites had 10-15 people sharing a tent. IDPs reported not receiving any food support at 50 per cent of these sites. There were neither latrines, nor solid waste management, at 85 per cent of the sites.
Contributing to aid shortages is a sharp drop in the volume of aid entering Gaza, with August recording an average of 69 aid trucks per day, the lowest number since October 2023.
“These are not conditions in which human life can be sustained. We call on Israel to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, wherever they are, and facilitate relief efforts, with urgent measures to prevent the spread of preventable diseases. Life-saving efforts cannot take place without a cessation of hostilities and the unhindered entry of essential aid at the necessary scale,” added Egeland.
Notes to editors
- The forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and does not amount to a permissible evacuation. Relocation areas have not provided safety, adequate shelter or essential services, and there has also been no guarantee that displaced populations will be able to return once hostilities end.
- In August, around 260,000 Palestinians were displaced due to 16 relocation directives, according to the UN.
- An average of 69 aid trucks per day entered Gaza during the month of August, the lowest number since October 2023, according to the UN.
- The Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” is now reduced to around 13 per cent of Gaza and has a population density of more than 30,000 people per square kilometre, according to the UN.
- In a two-week period from the end of July to the middle of August, NRC assessed 62 sites in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis hosting 129,697 people:
-
- People at 50 per cent of these sites had not received food support.
-
- There was no access to clean drinking water at 27.4 per cent of the sites.
-
- No food support was received at 50 per cent of the sites.
-
- 85.4 per cent of the sites had no latrines.
-
- A total of 6,352 newly displaced arrived at 40 sites in the two-week period.
-
- Displaced people at only one site have received hygiene kits
-
- Tents accommodated 10-15 people at some of the sites assessed.
-
- There was no solid waste management at 85.7 per cent of the sites.
For information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
- NRC's global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329
- Ahmed Bayram, Middle East and North Africa regional media advisor: ahmed.bayram@nrc.no, +962 790 160 147
Last night’s attacks on Al-Mawasi took place on an area where civilians were told to flee as part of a ‘humanitarian zone’ unilaterally declared by Israel. This area, where civilians killed in Monday’s strikes were seeking shelter, is now reduced to around 13 per cent of Gaza and has a population density of more than 30,000 people per square kilometre.
“Images of metres-deep craters burying dozens of tents where children and their families slept moments earlier are horrifying. For 11 months, Israel has been forcing Palestinians in Gaza to flee from place to place without offering them genuine assurances of safety, proper accommodation or return once hostilities end. The events of last night provide further evidence that there is no safe place in Gaza and that only a ceasefire will prevent further loss of life,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC.
The attack comes as long-standing restrictions continue to cripple aid operations in Gaza. For example, in recent weeks, NRC teams, who had been aiding thousands of displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, were forced to relocate to Al-Mawasi following Israeli relocation directives covering areas within a few hundred metres of NRC facilities. They returned to the NRC premises in Deir al-Balah after nine days of disruptions, following Israel’s first-ever reversal of its directives since the escalation began.
“My colleagues in Gaza are determined to continue to support stricken populations, but how can they do that when they themselves are being displaced time and time again? These conditions force us to constantly develop contingencies to remain operational, depriving us of time and resources that we should be devoting to serving the local population,” said Egeland.
In August alone, Israel issued 16 relocation directives in Gaza, displacing around 260,000 Palestinians—many of whom had already been forcibly displaced multiple times.
Conditions in Gaza continue to worsen, partly driven by restrictions placed on aid. An NRC assessment of 62 sites hosting over 129,500 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis found that some sites had 10-15 people sharing a tent. IDPs reported not receiving any food support at 50 per cent of these sites. There were neither latrines, nor solid waste management, at 85 per cent of the sites.
Contributing to aid shortages is a sharp drop in the volume of aid entering Gaza, with August recording an average of 69 aid trucks per day, the lowest number since October 2023.
“These are not conditions in which human life can be sustained. We call on Israel to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, wherever they are, and facilitate relief efforts, with urgent measures to prevent the spread of preventable diseases. Life-saving efforts cannot take place without a cessation of hostilities and the unhindered entry of essential aid at the necessary scale,” added Egeland.
Notes to editors
- The forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and does not amount to a permissible evacuation. Relocation areas have not provided safety, adequate shelter or essential services, and there has also been no guarantee that displaced populations will be able to return once hostilities end.
- In August, around 260,000 Palestinians were displaced due to 16 relocation directives, according to the UN.
- An average of 69 aid trucks per day entered Gaza during the month of August, the lowest number since October 2023, according to the UN.
- The Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” is now reduced to around 13 per cent of Gaza and has a population density of more than 30,000 people per square kilometre, according to the UN.
- In a two-week period from the end of July to the middle of August, NRC assessed 62 sites in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis hosting 129,697 people:
-
- People at 50 per cent of these sites had not received food support.
-
- There was no access to clean drinking water at 27.4 per cent of the sites.
-
- No food support was received at 50 per cent of the sites.
-
- 85.4 per cent of the sites had no latrines.
-
- A total of 6,352 newly displaced arrived at 40 sites in the two-week period.
-
- Displaced people at only one site have received hygiene kits
-
- Tents accommodated 10-15 people at some of the sites assessed.
-
- There was no solid waste management at 85.7 per cent of the sites.
For information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
- NRC's global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329
- Ahmed Bayram, Middle East and North Africa regional media advisor: ahmed.bayram@nrc.no, +962 790 160 147