There Are No ‘Humanitarian Zones’ or ‘Evacuation Orders’ in Gaza: It’s Time to Call Israel’s Actions What They Are – Genocide

As families in Gaza face unimaginable choices, many must decide whether to risk fleeing their shelters and endure a brutal winter on the streets or stay put and face the threat of being bombed.

Neither option offers any guarantee of safety from Israel’s bombs or bullets.

These are decisions no human should ever have to make. Yet, research conducted by Action For Humanity reveals that 98 percent of the 200,000 people residing in the so-called “humanitarian zones” in central Gaza have faced these agonizing dilemmas. More than a quarter of them have been forced to relocate 10 or more times in just the past 13 months.

Yes, you read that correctly – people in these so-called “humanitarian zones” have received “evacuation orders,” which forced them to flee to survive, often with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many have had to move repeatedly over the course of a year, sometimes in less than an hour’s notice, leaving them no time to collect what remained of their belongings.

Our research, based on testimonies from displaced Palestinians, shows that these “evacuation orders” often come with just an hour—or less—to pack up and flee. Those who comply are not met with safety. Instead, they are often pursued by gunfire as they attempt to find new shelter in other so-called “humanitarian zones.”

The findings, detailed in our report Erasure by Design, make it clear that there are no genuine humanitarian zones in Gaza. These so-called “evacuation orders” are not designed to protect Palestinians. The terminology used by Israel, its allies, and international media serves to mask the true nature of the atrocities unfolding in Gaza: land grabs under the threat of extermination.

Israel’s military actions are far from humane. Forcing displaced Palestinians to move from one unsafe place to another under threat of death by bombing is not an act of charity. The use of these “evacuation orders” is not driven by humanitarian concern. Instead, it is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that no place in Gaza is safe for Palestinians. Israel is trying to create the illusion of following humanitarian law, all while working to expand its territory illegally.

It is time the world stopped using euphemisms like “humanitarian zones” and “evacuation orders” to describe these actions. What is happening in Gaza is nothing short of genocide.