Published on: 2026-10-30
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 30, 2026 International Law
Israeli forces continue to push Palestinians into increasingly confined areas of the Gaza Strip, while simultaneously destroying civilian infrastructure and striking settler locations. This warning was issued on Friday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The Administration reported that the Israeli authorities announce plans to expand the area of their military presence to 70 percent of the sector’s territory. The safe space for Palestinians continues to shrink, provoking new waves of displacement in areas adjacent to the demarcation line (the “yellow line”).
Expansion of military actions
Over the past two weeks, the OHCHR has recorded the advance of Israeli military forces westward in the area of Ash-Shujaiya (Gaza City), as well as at three points in the central part of the enclave: in the east of Al-Bureij, east of Deir al-Balah, and east of Al-Maghazi.
According to available data, at least two strikes were recorded on camps for displaced persons in Al-Shujaiya, and the military used explosive-laden robots to blow up the last surviving buildings in the area.
The OHCHR received information that on October 25, an Israeli drone dropped munitions on tents with displaced families in Ash-Shuja’iyya near the “yellow line.” The fire that started after the strike was extinguished over the course of five hours.
As a result of this incident, 200 families were forced to flee, the majority of whom are women, children, and elderly people (around 800 individuals).
Faint hopes for a return
“The nightmare of displacement in Gaza is acute and protracted,” said Ajit Sungai, head of the UNHCR representation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Those who were displaced even before the ceasefire announcement have virtually no chance of returning to the areas they left: most of them are inaccessible as they ended up beyond the so-called yellow line. And people are forced to flee again and again,” he added.
The OHCHR reminded that as an occupying power, Israel is obliged to stop the forced displacement of Palestinians within the Gaza Strip, noting that this constitutes a war crime, which may also be classified as a crime against humanity.
Israel must also ensure the safe return of Palestinians to their homes and to the areas, the Administration emphasizes.
Restrictions on the import of shelter materials
The OHCHR stated that Israeli military personnel effectively treat the “yellow line” as a “kill zone,” not allowing Palestinians to return to the little that remains of their homes on the other side of the demarcation line.
The situation is exacerbated by the restrictions that Israel imposes on the import of humanitarian aid intended for the establishment of temporary shelters.
“These sufferings must come to an end. For the majority of Gaza’s residents, this is already the fourth year of wandering and the fourth winter in fragile tents incapable of protecting them from the rain, and all this time they continue to be under fire,” Sungai emphasized. “Let this be the last year of their torment.”
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