Palestinians displaced in the Gaza Strip are being pushed into ever smaller areas, with many unable to return to the places they fled, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has warned. In a statement reported by UN News on 30 October 2026, the office pointed to expanding Israeli military deployments, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and attacks on shelters.
According to OHCHR, Israel has stated its intention to expand the area in which its troops are deployed to 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip. That is a declared intention, not confirmation that its forces currently control that proportion of the territory. The office said, however, that over the preceding two weeks it had documented deployments expanding westwards in Al Shujaiyeh in Gaza City and in the eastern parts of Al Bureij, Deir Al-Balah and Al Maghazi.
Families forced to move again
OHCHR said it had received reports that an Israeli drone dropped munitions on tents housing displaced families near the Al Shujaiyeh junction and the so-called yellow line on 25 October. The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, cited by UN News, said 200 families — a total of 800 people — left the site following the incident. The account of the attack remains a report received by the UN office, while the displacement figures come from the Palestinian ministry.
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighted the situation of people who had already been displaced. He said many had little or no opportunity to return because the areas they had left remained inaccessible beyond the yellow line. The warning therefore concerns not only further flight from temporary shelters, but also the lack of a viable route home.
OHCHR said Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, including materials needed to provide shelter, were deepening the crisis. Further displacement is therefore being compounded by difficulties in securing even basic shelter.
Call for a safe return
The office called on Israel to stop forcibly displacing Palestinians and allow them to return safely and with dignity. In OHCHR’s assessment, forcible displacement constitutes a war crime and may also constitute a crime against humanity. This is the UN office’s legal assessment, not a court ruling in this case.
The UN News report sets out OHCHR’s position and does not include a response from the Israeli authorities to the allegations.
