600 days into war, Israel’s mass displacement campaign is entirely erasing Gaza

Since breaking the ceasefire, Israel issued nearly one displacement order every two days, forcing people into less than a fifth of the Gaza Strip

Israel has used mass forced displacement 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 per cent of Gaza. Combined with deliberate deprivation, this reveals a strategy not of targeting militants, but of dismantling and erasing Gaza itself, Oxfam warned today.

New Oxfam analysis found that since breaking the ceasefire on 18 March, Israel has issued over 30 forced displacement orders - nearly one every two days - covering 68 out of 79 neighbourhoods, some multiple times. These, together with the expanding “no-go” Israeli military zones, make up over 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip. The cumulative effect is the de facto confinement of the population into overcrowded enclaves stripped of infrastructure.

The sheer scale and relentless frequency of these orders have made it virtually impossible for people to find refuge. The pattern suggests not an effort to neutralize a threat, but a deliberate campaign to dismantle and depopulate Gaza, a process of forced displacement which is a war crime.

At the same time, 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 isn’t counterterrorism, as Israel alleges, 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 the week 15 - 20 May alone, over 160,000 people were displaced, part of nearly 600,000 people displaced since 18 March, many of them repeatedly.

Khalidi said: “In any other conflict, civilians would have routes to flee to neighbouring 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 40 square km2 that housed just 7,000 people before the war, has now been designated as a relocation site for hundreds of thousands of people. Despite its label as a safe zone, it has been repeatedly struck by Israeli fire.

Nearly all the remaining areas where civilians are being forcibly relocated - comprising just 20 per cent 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.

Khalidi continued: “This annihilation campaign and the bloodshed 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.

“Peace cannot be brokered on the ruins of Gaza nor the theft of Palestinian land. What’s at stake is not only Palestine’s future, but the integrity of every nation that claims to uphold international law.”

Ends

Please contact Lisa Rutherford on 07917 791 836 / lrutherford@oxfam.org.uk for more information and interviews

Notes to the Editor

Oxfam analysed all evacuation orders issued by Israel in Gaza between 18 March and 26 May 2025, which totalled 31 orders, averaging one order every 2.3 days. On several days, Israel issued multiple orders within 24 hours. An animation illustrating this can be downloaded here

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.

To evaluate the scope and timing of Israel evacuation orders in Gaza, Oxfam has relied on a number of sources, including the UNOCHA website and the official Israel COGAT GAT FB page. According to OCHA’s displacement orders website, since 18 March 2025, 81 per cent of the Gaza Strip is under evacuation orders or military zones.

Approximately 81 per cent of the Gaza Strip (365 sq km) is currently either under displacement orders or classified as a militarized zone. This means only 19 per cent (around 70 sq km) of Gaza remains outside of these two categories, as illustrated in this UNOCHA’s map.