GazaHerald – The Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed Friday that more than one million Palestinians, including over 350,000 children, remain in their homes in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, refusing to comply with Israel’s plan to force them south despite the ongoing aggression and mass destruction.
The office said the occupation has made clear that the displacement would be permanent and irreversible, calling it “a crime of forced displacement that violates all international laws.”
According to official figures, the population of Gaza City and the north exceeds 1.3 million people, including about 398,000 in northern Gaza and 914,000 in Gaza City. Some 300,000 were already forced from eastern neighborhoods into central and western parts of the city. Yet, a trend of reverse displacement is emerging: by Thursday evening, more than 20,000 people had returned to their original neighborhoods after discovering the dire conditions in the south, where 68,000 had fled but found no basic necessities for survival.
The office highlighted that the so-called “safe zone” in Al-Mawasi, where Israel has pushed more than 800,000 people, has been subjected to at least 109 airstrikes, killing more than 2,000 Palestinians. It added that Al-Mawasi lacks hospitals, infrastructure, and basic services, and that Israel has even cut the Mekorot water line supplying Khan Yunis.
Israel has designated less than 12% of Gaza’s territory as “shelter zones,” forcing more than 1.7 million people into these overcrowded areas. The Government Media Office described this as a systematic policy aimed at emptying Gaza City and the north and preventing any future return.
The statement placed full responsibility for the crimes of genocide and forced displacement on Israel, its ally the US administration, and the countries participating in the assault. It called on the international community, the United Nations, and international courts to take urgent action to stop the atrocities, hold Israeli leaders accountable, and guarantee Palestinians the right to remain on their land in safety and dignity.
The statement recalled that on August 8, the Israeli government approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to gradually occupy the entire Gaza Strip. The plan begins with the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza City southward, followed by encirclement of the city and further incursions into densely populated areas, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
Since then, tens of thousands have been forced from the city’s south, east, and north into western neighborhoods and the city center, which themselves came under heavy Israeli bombardment.
Despite the escalation, including the destruction of more than eight high-rise towers and dozens of other multi-story residential buildings since September 5, most Palestinians in Gaza City continue to resist displacement, seeking refuge within the city rather than leaving it.
