The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has warned that Israeli forces in Gaza are forcing more Palestinians from their homes, and that these actions deepen concerns of ethnic cleansing. In a statement issued on Friday, the agency said people are being pushed again and again into a steadily smaller part of the besieged enclave.
The OHCHR said the Israeli army is moving beyond its deployment line, known as the “Yellow Line”. It said Israeli forces appear to treat the line as a “kill zone”, which stops Palestinians from returning to what remains of their homes on the other side.
Military expansion and attacks on civilian sites
The agency cautioned that the military is destroying remaining civilian infrastructure and attacking displacement sites. It linked these actions to a stated goal of expanding its military deployment area to 70 percent of Gaza’s territory.
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Human rights groups and aid agencies have repeatedly urged Israel to stop forced displacement and attacks on shelters throughout the conflict.
New displacement across Gaza City and central areas
Over the past two weeks, the OHCHR documented a westward push by the Israeli military. This has triggered fresh displacement in Shujayea and Gaza City, as well as in eastern Bureij, eastern Deir el-Balah and eastern al-Maghazi in Central Gaza.
In Shujayea, the agency noted at least two Israeli attacks on displacement camps, with explosive robots detonating the few buildings still standing in the area. The OHCHR also said it had received reports that an Israeli drone dropped munitions on a tent sheltering displaced people at the Shujayea junction on Sunday.
The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza said the resulting fire displaced 200 families, made up of 800 people.
Senior UN official describes a “nightmare of displacement”
Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR in occupied Palestine, said the “nightmare of displacement” in Gaza was both “acute and chronic”. He said that people displaced before the ceasefire was announced have little or no prospect of returning to the areas they fled, most of which are out of reach beyond the so-called Yellow Line.
Despite an ongoing ceasefire, Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued. According to the enclave’s Ministry of Health, at least 1,574 people have been killed and 5,687 wounded since the agreement took effect on October 11, 2025.
Since the war began in October 2023, the figures in the report show that Israeli attacks have killed at least 74,570 people and wounded 175,808 others.
