As I sift through the reports coming out of Gaza, a disturbing pattern emerges beyond the immediate violence. On my desk are satellite images showing population concentrations shifting dramatically over the past months. The Israeli proposal for controlling humanitarian aid distribution raises profound questions about forced displacement that humanitarian agencies are increasingly vocal about.
“What we’re seeing is a potential humanitarian catastrophe dressed up as aid management,” says Mohammed Abdi, Norway Refugee Council’s country director for Palestine. During our call yesterday, he expressed grave concerns that Israel’s evolving aid control mechanisms could accelerate what many aid groups already fear – the permanent displacement of Palestinians within Gaza.
The proposal, which Israeli officials have presented to international partners, would divide Gaza into numbered “humanitarian areas.” According to documents reviewed by our team at Mediawall, these zones would receive aid only after evacuation orders push Palestinian civilians from active combat zones. The UN estimates that over 1.9 million Gazans – roughly 85% of the population – have already been displaced, many multiple times.
Last week while attending diplomatic briefings in Brussels, I spoke with three European humanitarian officials who shared confidential assessments indicating this zoning approach could violate international humanitarian law principles. The Geneva Conventions explicitly prohibit forcible transfers of civilian populations during conflicts.
“These zones are essentially creating a humanitarian carrot-and-stick approach,” says Dr. Elena Vasquez, conflict displacement specialist with the International Crisis Group. “Go where we tell you, or risk starvation. That’s textbook coercion.”
The Israeli military maintains these measures are necessary to protect civilians from Hamas, which they accuse of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes. “Our operations are designed to minimize civilian casualties while maximizing pressure on Hamas,” an IDF spokesperson told me via email. They declined to address specific questions about the humanitarian zoning plan.
Gaza’s health ministry reports over 34,000 Palestinians killed since October 7, with children representing approximately 40% of these casualties. The war began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages.
Field workers with Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders describe increasingly desperate conditions. During a secure call from Gaza City, one aid coordinator who requested anonymity due to security concerns told me: “We see children drinking contaminated water. Families are surviving on one meal daily. Medical supplies for chronic conditions simply don’t exist anymore.”
The World Food Programme warns that famine conditions are emerging across northern Gaza. Their latest assessment shows acute malnutrition rates doubling in just two months. “The situation defies our worst-case models,” says Samantha Reynolds, WFP regional emergency coordinator, during our interview at their Cairo operations center.
What’s particularly troubling about the Israeli proposal is its parallel with historical population transfer strategies. Palestinians and several human rights groups have raised concerns that these “humanitarian areas” could become permanent, preventing returns to original homes and neighborhoods.
“When homes, infrastructure, and entire neighborhoods are destroyed, and new aid distribution patterns are established far from people’s origins, you’re looking at de facto permanent displacement,” says Robert Malley, former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, whom I interviewed last week.
The Israeli government disputes these characterizations. Their official position states the zones are temporary measures until Hamas is eliminated as a security threat. However, documents obtained through diplomatic sources suggest longer-term planning that aligns with statements from some Israeli ministers about post-war Gaza having significantly altered population patterns.
Standing at the Rafah crossing last month, I watched as aid trucks idled for days, caught in bureaucratic limbo. When deliveries finally moved, they reached only a fraction of those in need. The UN reports that aid volume entering Gaza has dropped by 50% since January despite escalating humanitarian needs.
