Israel’s order to empty Gaza City threatens to trigger the largest single displacement since the hostilities began, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Israel’s latest relocation directives for the entire population of Gaza City are set to unleash a new wave of mass displacement into areas with no shelter, extremely limited services, and no safety. Forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians already facing famine in Gaza City to flee south will only fuel the humanitarian catastrophe Israel has driven in Gaza for nearly two years.
"This is not an evacuation. The directive amounts to forcible transfer, an atrocity crime under international law. Families are being driven out of Gaza City into small, confined areas, under the constant threat of deportation beyond Gaza itself,” said Jan Egeland, NRC’s Secretary General. “This is not about protecting civilians, it is about stripping them of their homes, their communities, and their right to remain on their land."
There is no safe or humane way to move a population on this scale. Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed hospitals, water and sanitation systems, and as much as 92 per cent of housing, leaving civilians with nowhere to turn.
The rest of Gaza is already overwhelmed by repeated cycles of forced displacement and bombardment. Families are crammed into overcrowded sites where conditions are unsafe and undignified. Humanitarian agencies face severe restrictions imposed by Israel that obstruct lifesaving operations.
“Right now, Gaza City is paralysed by fear and uncertainty,” said Salma Altaweel, NRC’s Northern Gaza Office Manager. “Families know that wherever they go they will face hunger, danger, and despair, yet staying behind feels just as impossible. People are being forced into choices that offer no protection and no future.”
Before this latest relocation directive, an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza were already in need of emergency shelter. Yet since 16 August, when Israel announced it would lift its total ban on shelter materials imposed in March, only 1,175 tents have entered. That is enough to support less than half of one per cent of those in need.
NRC calls on the Israeli military to reverse the mass displacement order issued for Gaza City, and on all states to take immediate and concrete action to halt this offensive. This must include pressing for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages to end the cycle of atrocities and protect civilians.
"Driving people south does not end the famine, it spreads it. These relocation directives are dragging starvation across Gaza while clearing the ground for Israel to permanently acquire territory by force,” said Egeland.
Notes to Editors
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NRC has 37 staff in Gaza City providing essential services, including legal assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, site management and protection, reaching tens of thousands of Palestinians.
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92 per cent of housing in Gaza is damaged or destroyed. (Shelter Cluster)
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Average living space in Gaza is just 0.5 m² per person, compared to the Sphere Standard of 3.5 m². (Site Management Cluster)
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Only 1,175 tents have entered Gaza since 16 August, enough to support 6,580 people based on an average family size of 5.6. This covers less than half of one per cent of the 1.4 million people in need of emergency shelter. (Shelter Cluster)
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On 22 August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed famine in Gaza City and warned that, without immediate action, famine could spread to other parts of the Gaza Strip.
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Israel continues to block lifesaving aid and restrict NGO operations through new registration rules. Registration can be denied on vague and politicised grounds, including alleged “delegitimisation” of the State of Israel.
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Under international humanitarian law, evacuations are only lawful if civilians are moved to genuinely safe areas with adequate shelter and services, and are allowed to return once hositilities end.
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Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the forcible transfer or deportation of protected persons from occupied territory, regardless of motive. The Statute of the International Criminal Court classifies such deportations or transfers by an Occupying Power as war crimes in international armed conflicts.
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The prohibitions of aggression, genocide, and crimes against humanity are recognised as peremptory norms of international law (jus cogens). These rules are binding on all states, admit no derogation, and require states to act to end serious breaches, including through lawful countermeasures.
For information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
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NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329