UN warns of ethnic cleansing fears as Israel expands Gaza zone
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says Israeli forces are treating the Yellow Line as a kill zone, displacing Palestinians and raising concerns of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
At a glance
- Israeli forces are treating the Yellow Line as a kill zone, expanding westward and preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes.
- OHCHR documented new displacement in Shujayea, Bureij, Deir el‑Balah and al‑Maghazi, including a drone strike that displaced 200 families in Shujayea.
- Since the October 11, 2025 ceasefire, at least 1,574 people have been killed and 5,687 wounded; total deaths since October 2023 exceed 74,570.
On Friday, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned that Israeli forces are expanding into Gaza, treating the Yellow Line as a kill zone and preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes, raising fears of ethnic cleansing.
UN warning on displacement Israeli forces are pushing westward beyond their deployment line, also known as the “Yellow Line,” and appear to treat it as a kill zone, according to the OHCHR statement. The agency said the military is destroying remaining civilian infrastructure and attacking displacement sites while aiming to increase its operational area to 70 percent of Gaza’s territory.
The OHCHR documented new displacement over the past two weeks in Shujayea, Gaza City, and in eastern Bureij, eastern Deir el‑Balah and eastern al‑Maghazi in Central Gaza. In Shujayea, at least two Israeli attacks were reported on displacement camps, with explosive robots detonating the few buildings left standing. An Israeli drone also dropped munitions on a tent housing displaced Palestinians at the Shujayea junction on Sunday, causing a fire that displaced 200 families, or 800 people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing.
Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR in occupied Palestine, described the “nightmare of displacement” as both “acute and chronic.” He noted that those displaced before the ceasefire have little to no prospect of return because their areas lie beyond the Yellow Line.
Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on October 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have continued. The enclave’s Ministry of Health reports at least 1,574 people killed and 5,687 wounded since the agreement. Since the conflict began in October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed at least 74,570 people and wounded 175,808 others.
Human rights groups and aid agencies have repeatedly called on Israel to stop forcibly displacing Palestinians and attacking shelters throughout the conflict.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What did the UN OHCHR say about Israeli forces and the Yellow Line?
- The UN OHCHR said Israeli forces are treating the Yellow Line as a kill zone, expanding westward and preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes.
- How many Palestinians have been displaced or killed in recent attacks?
- A drone strike in Shujayea displaced 200 families (800 people). Since the October 11 ceasefire, at least 1,574 have been killed and 5,687 wounded.
- Which areas in Gaza have been newly affected by the displacement?
- OHCHR documented new displacement in Shujayea, eastern Bureij, eastern Deir el‑Balah and eastern al‑Maghazi in Central Gaza.
