GazaHerald – Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel is forcibly displacing Palestinians under the threat of airstrikes into overcrowded “concentration camps” in the southern area of al-Mawasi, where conditions are dire and deadly.
In a statement, the ministry warned that al-Mawasi lacks the “basic necessities of life, including water, food, [and] health services” and has become an area “where illnesses spread dangerously.” It stressed that the displaced are subjected to direct targeting both inside the camps and when attempting to leave them, calling it a flagrant violation of humanitarian and international law.
Despite being designated by the Israeli military as a “humanitarian zone,” al-Mawasi has itself come under repeated attack, underscoring that no area in Gaza is safe. Residents forced to flee Gaza City describe arriving at the site to find unbearable conditions: families crammed into makeshift tents, shortages of food and clean water, and little access to medical care.
Ahmed Awad, who fled northern Gaza while “mortar shells were raining down,” described arriving in the middle of the night to find “no water, no toilets, nothing. Families are sleeping in the open. The situation is catastrophic.”
Another displaced resident, Abdullah Aram, said his family is enduring hunger and malnutrition: “Food is scarce, and people inside these tents are hungry. Winter is approaching, and we desperately need new tents. This area cannot accommodate any more displaced people.”
Tess Ingram, spokesperson for UNICEF, confirmed conditions are deteriorating daily. “Nowhere in Gaza is safe, even in this so-called humanitarian area. The camp is getting more crowded by the day.” She recounted the story of Sarah, a pregnant woman forced to evacuate Gaza City who gave birth on the roadside in Sheikh Radwan as bombs fell and evacuation orders were issued.
Displaced families say they are trapped in endless cycles of flight, hunger, and fear. One man, carrying the weight of multiple generations, said, “Not only are rockets raining down on us, but hunger is also eating us up.
My family has been in constant displacement for two years. We can no longer tolerate this war, this physical annihilation, or the hunger. Displacement is painful, as if the soul were being torn from the body.”
At least 53 Palestinians have been killed, including 35 in Gaza City alone, as Israeli forces continue to ratchet up their attack on the city, destroying three residential neighborhoods. Among the strikes was the targeted demolition of the Al-Kawthar residential tower in the southern neighborhood of Al-Rimal. The military announced its target beforehand before leveling the building with a series of missile strikes in under two hours.
Residents describe “another sleepless night in Gaza City” under the constant buzz of drones, bombardments, and even the use of remotely detonated explosive robots. Each wave of destruction forces more families southward, funneling them into the already bursting camps of al-Mawasi.
The forced displacement into what Palestinian officials now openly call “concentration camps” highlights both the collapse of humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the systematic nature of Israel’s war strategy. With overcrowded camps under fire, collapsing infrastructure, and no guarantees of safety, displaced Palestinians face both physical annihilation and slow death through hunger and disease.
