GAZA CITY, Palestine

Israeli forces have turned the designated "safe humanitarian zones" within the Gaza Strip into heaps of rubble and ashes, leaving only 9.5% of the territory as so-called “safe zones” for displaced civilians, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza said on Saturday.

According to a statement released by the authority, at the onset of Israel's ground invasion of Gaza in early November 2023, Israeli forces pushed hundreds of thousands of civilians from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, claiming these areas were "safe humanitarian zones."

Initially, these zones covered 230 square kilometers (89 square miles) or 63% of Gaza's total area, including agricultural land and commercial, economic, and service facilities spread across 120 square kilometers (46 square miles).

As the Israeli military offensives continued, the size of these so-called safe zones shrank dramatically, the statement said.

The authority explained that by early December 2023, following Israel's incursion into Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the designated humanitarian areas were reduced to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), accounting for 38.3% of Gaza's total area. These areas included some agricultural land as well as economic, commercial, and service establishments.

Further reductions occurred in May 2024, during Israel's incursion into Rafah, when the humanitarian zone shrank to 79 square kilometers (30.5 square miles), or 20% of Gaza's total area, the statement added.

By mid-June 2024, the zone was reduced to 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), accounting for just 16.4% of Gaza's total area. The area encompassed roads, streets, service areas, and even cemeteries, none of which could be considered truly safe havens for displaced civilians, it said.

In mid-July 2024, the area deemed "safe" by the Israeli forces was reduced again, this time to 48 square kilometers (18.5 square miles), or 13.15% of Gaza's total area.

Finally, as of August 2024, the Israeli army has reduced these "safe humanitarian zones" to a mere 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles), or 9.5% of Gaza's total area. This zone includes only about 3.5% of agricultural, service, and commercial areas, further shrinking the spaces where civilians can seek refuge, the authorities said, detailing how Israeli forces systematically destroyed the "safe zones."

The ongoing reduction of these safe zones has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as civilians have fewer places to escape the violence.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi