Since breaking the ceasefire, Israel issued nearly one displacement order every two days, confining people in inaccessible areas covering less than 20 percent of the Gaza Strip.
Israel has used mass displacement orders and relentless military assault to systematically force civilians into five restricted zones—hemmed in by military corridors and the sea—that now make up less than 20 percent of Gaza. Combined with deliberate starvation, this demonstrates a concerted effort to dismantle and erase Gaza, warned Oxfam today.
A new Oxfam analysis found that since breaking the ceasefire on March 18, Israel has issued over 30 forced displacement orders—nearly one every two days - covering a swathe of 68 out of 79 neighborhoods, some multiple times. These, together with the expanding “no-go” Israeli military zones, make up over 80 percent of the Gaza Strip. The cumulative effect is the de facto confinement of the population into overcrowded, infrastructure-stripped enclaves.
The sheer scale, relentlessness, and frequency of these orders have made it virtually impossible for people to find refuge. The pattern suggests a deliberate campaign to dismantle and depopulate large parts of Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel has extended its military presence along five so called “security corridors”—Philadelphi, Murag, Kisufim, Netzarim, and Mefalsim—that cut horizontally across the length of the Gaza Strip. These corridors effectively divide the territory into five isolated zones, severing north from south and restricting civilian movement within what is already a tightly confined space.
Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s Policy Lead in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said:
“For over 600 days, Israel has been saying it’s targeting Hamas, but it is civilians who have been corralled, bombed and killed en masse every day. The displacement orders follow a clear and calculated pattern: using the threat of violence to herd civilians into ever-shrinking zones of confinement. This goes beyond counterterrorism - —it’s the systematic clearing of Gaza through militarized force into enclaves of internment.”
The pattern of Israel’s orders followed by military strikes underscores what Israeli officials have openly stated: plans to take control of Gaza and establish militarized “humanitarian” hubs, where civilians would receive aid from private contractors under armed guard. Oxfam and other international agencies have firmly rejected these proposals as coercive, politicized, and incompatible with humanitarian principles.
In just the last week (15–22 May), over 170,000 people were displaced—part of a broader total of nearly 600,000 people displaced since March 18, many of them repeatedly.
One of the most significant recent orders, issued on 20 May alone, covered 34.9 km², roughly 10 percent of Gaza’s land area, affecting 150,000–200,000 people in North Gaza’s Beit Lahiya and Jabalia. The effect of such orders on already-displaced populations has been devastating.
“In any other conflict, civilians would have routes to flee to neighboring areas or countries. In this case, Palestinians are entirely caged under an iron-clad siege, being shoved towards the coastline.”
Fidaa Alaraj – Oxfam’s Gender Advisor in Gaza- who has been displaced with her family several times, said: “Imagine trying to move with four children or an elderly parent in the middle of the night, with no transport and nowhere to go. People are so exhausted, many would rather face death than flee again.”
The so-called “known shelters” designated by Israel—chief among them Al-Mawasi—are little more than dust-choked encampments that offer no real protection. Al-Mawasi, a barren coastal strip of roughly 15 square miles that housed just 7,000 people before the war, has now been designated as a relocation site for hundreds of thousands. Despite its label as a safe zone, it has been repeatedly struck by Israeli fire.
Nearly all of the remaining areas where civilians are being forcibly relocated—comprising just 20 percent of Gaza’s territory—entirely lack clean water, sanitation, medical care, and basic infrastructure. This reality stands in direct violation of international humanitarian law, which obligates Israel as the occupying power to ensure displaced civilians receive adequate shelter, hygiene, and protection.
“This campaign of bloodshed, starvation and displacement must end. It is long past time for Western governments and other influential powers to move beyond statements and apply meaningful pressure on Israel to lift the siege and abandon any designs on annexing Gaza”, added Khalidi.
“Peace cannot be brokered on the ruins of Gaza nor the theft of Palestinian land. Ahead of the Two-State Solution Summit planned in New York next month, world leaders must urge Israel to lift the siege and abandon any annexation plans of Gaza or the West Bank. What’s at stake is not only Palestine’s future, but the integrity of every nation that claims to uphold international law.”
Ends
Notes to the Editor
- Please see Oxfam’s video visualizing the pattern of Israel’s displacement orders. (Valid until July 29, 2025).
- Oxfam analyzed all evacuation orders issued by Israel in Gaza between March 18 and May 26, 2025, which totalled 31 orders, averaging one order every 2.3 days. On several days, Israel issued multiple orders within 24 hours. Source: Israel COGAT GAT FB page. And OCHA’s displacement orders website,.
- According to UNOCHA, all 25 municipalities across the five governorates of Gaza are affected—either partially or entirely—by displacement orders or militarized zones. Only 11 neighborhoods out of 79 within these governorates, have not been under orders.
- Approximately 81% of the Gaza Strip (141 sq miles) is currently either under displacement orders or classified as a militarized zone. This means only 19% (around 27 sq miles) of Gaza remains outside of these two categories, as illustrated in this UNOCHA’s map.
- The total estimated number of people displaced since the ceasefire was broken on March 18 and until May 21, 2025 was 599,104. Source: The Site Management Cluster Update (May 15-21, 2025)
- Between May 15-22, 99,794 people were displaced in the northern 2 governorates (Gaza and North Gaza) and 74,783 people were displaced in the southern governorates (Khan Younis and Middle Area). Source: The Joint Humanitarian Operation Centre (JHOC) Update #9.
- Al-Mawasi” has an area of approximately 41sq km (15.83sq miles) which lacks critical infrastructure and services, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Sep 10, 2024.
- Under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), an Occupying Power may evacuate civilians only for their own security or imperative military reasons, and even then the measure must be temporary and allow safe return as soon as hostilities have ceased; at the same time, Articles 55 and 56 obligate the Occupying Power to ensure displaced persons have adequate food, medical care, hygiene and shelter.
[AM1]the scale, relentlessness and frequency of...
[AM2]are we working with inferences here and a its in the negative which is awkward reading... not an effort to.... feels like we keep saying a lot more and think it could simplify
[SP3]I would actually just cut this clause too naming the war crime. It actually dilutes the power of the sentence.