Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of planning a “new wave of genocide and displacement” as the Israeli military prepared to move residents out of Gaza City.
In a statement, the Palestinian militant group denounced the Israeli plan to deploy tents and other shelter equipment in southern Gaza, calling it “a blatant deception.” According to Hamas, the relocation effort is not about safety but rather a cover for forced displacement.
Israel has presented the move differently. The military said it began setting up tents and shelters on Sunday with the goal of transferring residents from active combat zones to the south of the enclave. Officials said the plan was designed “to ensure their safety.”
Fears of a deepening humanitarian crisis are growing as Israel appears ready to launch a new offensive in northern Gaza City. This planned assault on the enclave’s most crowded urban center has forced a new relocation order, drawing sharp criticism from the international community. Many are questioning how civilians can possibly endure more in a territory already decimated by war.
The flashpoint for this conflict was the October 7th attack, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and seized 251 hostages in southern Israel, per Israeli reports. The fate of the 50 hostages still in Gaza remains dire, with Israeli authorities estimating that only about 20 have survived.
The human cost of Israel’s response in Gaza is almost unimaginable. The local health ministry says more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed, while a staggering 2.2 million people—nearly everyone—have been forced from their homes.
With the territory now in ruins and severe hunger spreading, international aid groups are warning that an already dire humanitarian crisis is getting much, much worse.
Israel calls its relocation plan a necessary measure to save civilian lives. Hamas calls it an act of forced removal. The Gazans caught between these two narratives simply call it hell—another brutal chapter in a seemingly endless war.
