Relocation of 1.3M Gazans to south ‘almost impossible,’ authorities warn

GAZA CITY, Palestine/ISTANBUL

Gaza authorities warned Sunday that the relocation of 1.3 million civilians from the territory’s north to the south “is almost impossible”

“Southern Gaza provinces cannot accommodate 1.3 million forcibly displaced people from Gaza City,” the government media office said in a statement.

The warning comes amid Israeli preparations to occupy Gaza City and displace its residents to the south.

According to witnesses, the army demolished entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza City and ordered residents to evacuate south.

The office said that since Israel permitted the entry of tents and shelter supplies, only about 10,000 tents – just 4% of the 250,000 tents and caravans needed – have entered Gaza.

“This figure reflects the manipulation and delays in responding to urgent humanitarian needs,” it said.

The office said no tents or shelter supplies are currently available at border crossings due to complex restrictions imposed by Israel on international aid organizations, exacerbating the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

“Simultaneously, safe areas for relocation in southern Gaza are nonexistent, as the Israeli army controls nearly 77% of the territory in Gaza, making any new displacement nearly impossible and endangering the lives of those forced to flee.”

On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved army plans for the occupation of Gaza City, vowing heavy fire and population displacement.

Israel has killed nearly 62,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.