UN raises alarm over ‘nightmare’ displacement of Palestinians in Gaza
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has raised the alarm about ethnic cleansing in Gaza, citing Israel’s expanding military control, destruction of homes, and forced displacement of Palestinians.
In a statement on Friday, the OHCHR reported that Israeli forces have continued expanding their deployment areas westward in several parts of Gaza, further restricting the territory available to Palestinians.
The office noted that Israel has announced plans to expand its military deployment to 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, leaving Palestinians confined to an increasingly limited area.
“The nightmare of displacement in Gaza is both acute and chronic,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR in Palestine.
“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,” he added.
The OHCHR called on the occupying entity to end the forcible transfer of Palestinians, which constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.
The report documented how Zionist regime’s attacks have continued to displace families even from areas where they had sought refuge, including an October 25 attack on tents near al-Shujaiyeh junction in Gaza City.
An Israeli drone dropped munitions on the tents, triggering a fire that burned for five hours and displaced 200 families, approximately 800 people, most of them women, children, and older persons.
Israeli forces have also used explosive robots to demolish the few buildings still standing in al-Shujaiyeh, further destroying the homes to which displaced residents might otherwise return.
The OHCHR described the so-called yellow line as a “kill zone,” saying Israeli forces appeared to be preventing Palestinians from reaching what remains of their homes beyond the military demarcation.
“There must be an end to this suffering,” Sunghay said, adding that most Palestinians in Gaza were entering their fourth year of displacement and facing their fourth winter in tents.
The UN office further noted that restrictions on humanitarian supplies were preventing the entry of materials needed to provide adequate shelter to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
It urged Zionist regime to end the forcible transfer of Palestinians and facilitate their safe and dignified return to their homes, as the continuing displacement deepens an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 74,570 Palestinians have been martyred and 175,808 injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on the territory.