Starting on Sunday, residents of Gaza will be provided with tents and other equipment for temporary housing before they are relocated from combat zones to the south of the enclave “for security reasons.”
The announcement came a few days after Israel announced its intention to launch a new offensive to take control of the northern part of Gaza City, the enclave’s largest population centre. The plan has raised concerns among the international community about the fate of the devastated territory, home to some 2.2 million people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on August 10 that before the offensive began, the civilian population would be evacuated from Gaza City, which he called the last stronghold of Hamas, to “safe areas.”
According to the army, equipment for temporary housing will be delivered through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza by the UN and other international humanitarian organisations after inspection by the Ministry of Defence.
A spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed concern about Israel’s plans to relocate people to southern Gaza, noting that this would only increase suffering.
At the same time, the UN welcomed Israel’s recognition of the urgent need for shelters in the sector and its agreement to allow tents and other equipment into Gaza.
“The UN and its partners will take advantage of this opportunity,” the organisation’s representative said.
The UN also warned that thousands of families already living in dire humanitarian conditions would find themselves in an even more critical situation if the plans for Gaza City were implemented.
No safe places in Gaza
Palestinian and UN officials have previously stated that there are no safe places in the enclave, including areas in the south where Israel has called on residents to relocate.
The army declined to comment on whether the housing was intended for the approximately one million people remaining in Gaza City and whether the southern city of Rafah, bordering Egypt, would be the resettlement area.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that plans for a new offensive were still being drawn up.
The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, called the army’s statement “part of a brutal attack aimed at occupying the city of Gaza” and “a blatant and contemptuous disregard for international conventions.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces stepped up their operations on the outskirts of Gaza City last week. Residents of the Zeitoun and Shajaiya neighbourhoods reported massive air strikes and tank shelling by Israel.
Last Friday, the Israeli military said it had launched a new operation in Zeitoun to search for explosives, destroy tunnels and eliminate militants in the area.
The war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza, 20 are alive, according to their data.
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It has also led to a food crisis, mass displacement and widespread destruction in Gaza.
