Gaza Strip evacuations

Gaza Strip evacuations
Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
Israeli division of the Gaza Strip into 620 zones[1]
Date13 October 2023 – present
(11 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
LocationGaza Strip
TypePopulation transfer
Organized by Israel
Deaths70+ (Israeli attacks on evacuating Palestinians)[2]
Displaced1,900,000[3]

During the Israel–Hamas war, the Israeli military ordered most residents of Gaza to evacuate their homes, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and contributing to a broader humanitarian crisis in the territory.[4][5] It is the largest displacement of Palestinians in 75 years.[6][a] 90 percent of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once since October 2023.[8] Palestinians have described the evacuation as the "second Nakba."[9]

The first evacuation order was given on 13 October 2023, one week after Hamas led an attack on Israel from Gaza. Israel officials told the 1.1 million Gazans who lived north of the Wadi Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate within 24 hours.[10]

Israel's ground invasion of Gaza began on 27 October 2023. By 3 November 2023, some 800,000 to 1 million people had moved to the southern Gaza Strip, while 350,000 to 400,000 remained in the north.[11] Israel targeted Palestinians during the evacuation and attacked and bombarded them in the southern Gaza Strip.[2][12][13][14][15] Evacuees described the evacuation corridors as unsafe, and full of terror from Israeli soldiers and dead bodies along the road.[16]

On 1 December 2023, Israel began issuing evacuation orders across the entire Gaza Strip, dividing the territory into 620 zones.[17] UN officials said Gazans were being pushed into an area one-third the size of the total territory.[18] Some 80 percent of the territory's population was at the time in the southern Gaza Strip.[19] In May 2024, evacuation orders across the Gaza Strip resulted in at least 900,000 people moving in just one week.[20] By June 2024, an estimated two-thirds of Gaza's population was in an area less than one-fifth of the Strip, and by July 2024, an estimated 83 percent of the Strip was placed under evacuation orders.[21][22][23] By August 2024, Israel was issuing so many evacuation orders that some residents no longer complied with them, believing nowhere in Gaza was safer than another.[24][b] In other instances, civilians were unable to comply with Israel's evacuation orders because there was no longer any space left in the designated "safe zone".[26]

The evacuations have been condemned by numerous legal experts, human rights organizations, and diplomats as a war crime or crime against humanity, and were cited by South Africa in its genocide case against Israel.[27][28]

  1. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF says new map splitting Gaza into zones will help residents avoid combat areas". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Israeli military warns Gazans to relocate south for safety". The Jerusalem Post. October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023. The call to evacuate came ahead of an anticipated ground invasion of the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war with Hamas.
  5. ^
  6. ^ Davis, Hanna (2 December 2023). " "'We will never forget': Reliving the pain of the Nakba amid Israel's war". Al Jazeera. " Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #166 – OCHA". United Nations. OCHA. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  8. ^
  9. ^ Mhawesh, Mohammed (14 October 2023). "'A second Nakba': Echoes of 1948, as Israel orders Palestinians to leave". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  10. ^ Bhandari, Aditi; Dutta, Prasanta Kumar; Zafra, Mariano (2023-10-13). "Israeli military orders Gazans to leave northern half of territory". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  11. ^ Ambrose, Tom; Fulton, Adam; Ambrose (now), Tom; Fulton (earlier), Adam (2023-11-04). "Israel-Hamas war live: Red Crescent warns of 'war crime' after ambulances hit in Gaza". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :ft was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Why is Israel attacking was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Photos: Palestinians fleeing to Khan Younis still face Israeli air attacks". Al Jazeera. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. ^ Regencia, Ted; Rowlands, Lyndal (7 November 2023). "Israel-Hamas war live: One month of conflict, 10,000 dead in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. ^
  17. ^ "The Israel-Hamas war in maps: latest updates". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  18. ^ Besheer, Margaret (4 December 2023). "UN Chief Alarmed at Resumption, Spread of Gaza Fighting". VOA. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  19. ^ Zilber, Zeri (December 2023). "Israel plans for 'long war' and aims to kill top three Hamas leaders". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Israeli army orders more evacuations in northern Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  21. ^ Lillieholm, Lucas (13 June 2024). "Israel denies hitting designated 'safe zone' following Palestinian news agency report". CNN. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  22. ^ Berger, Miriam. "Israel calls for Gaza City to evacuate, affecting hundreds of thousands". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  23. ^ "How Israel is shrinking Gaza's 'safe zones'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Proliferating evacuation orders sow chaos, confusion in Gaza". France24. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  25. ^ Frankel, Julia. "Israeli evacuation orders cram Palestinians into shrinking 'humanitarian zone' where food is scarce". Associated Press. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  26. ^ Burke, Jason. "People in Gaza forced to stay in areas at risk of Israeli attack as 'safe zone' full". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  27. ^ Sultany, Nimer (9 May 2024). "A Threshold Crossed: On Genocidal Intent and the Duty to Prevent Genocide in Palestine". Journal of Genocide Research: 1–26. doi:10.1080/14623528.2024.2351261.
  28. ^ Lawal, Shola. "Can South Africa's ICJ case against Israel stop war in Gaza?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 August 2024.


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