UN: 800 Displaced in Gaza Tent Fire as “Nightmare” Deepens
In a statement, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Israeli forces are destroying civilian infrastructure and striking displacement sites while confining Palestinians to smaller areas “amid concerns of ethnic cleansing.” The shrinking space has driven fresh displacement along the “yellow line” demarcation boundary, the office said.
The office documented a westward push of Israeli military deployment zones in recent weeks. “Over the past two weeks, OHCHR documented the westward expansion of Israeli military deployment areas in Al Shujaiyeh, Gaza City, and in three locations in Middle Gaza – eastern Al Bureij, eastern Deir Al-Balah and eastern Al Maghazi,” said the statement.
The Oct. 25 strike
OHCHR said it received reports that on Oct. 25, an Israeli drone dropped munitions on tents housing displaced families at the Al Shujaiyeh junction, near the yellow line. The resulting fire reportedly burned for five hours. According to the Palestinian Public Works and Housing Ministry, 200 families, or 800 people, were forced to flee, most of them women, children and older persons.
“Acute and chronic”
“The nightmare of displacement in Gaza is both acute and chronic,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Sunghay added: “Those displaced before the announcement of a ceasefire have little to no prospect of return to the areas they fled, most of which are inaccessible because they fall beyond the so-called yellow line. And they continue to be displaced again and again.”
War crime warning
The rights office stressed that Israel, as an occupying power, must halt the forcible transfer of Palestinians within Gaza. It noted that such transfer is a war crime and may also amount to a crime against humanity. “Israel also must facilitate Palestinians’ safe and dignified return to their homes and the areas they fled,” it noted.
OHCHR further cautioned that Israeli forces appear to be treating the yellow line as a “kill zone,” blocking Palestinians from reaching what remains of their homes on the far side.
“There must be an end to this suffering. This is the fourth year of displacement for most Palestinians in Gaza, the fourth winter in tents too flimsy to withstand the rain, and they are still under fire through it all,” added Sunghay.
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