Safe zone in Gaza shrinks to 35 km amid ongoing Israeli strikes: report

Israeli forces have turned the designated “safe humanitarian zones” within the Gaza Strip into heaps of rubble and ashes, leaving only 9.5 percent of the territory as so-called “safe zones” for displaced civilians, according to a statement by the civil defense service on Saturday.

“At the onset of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza in early November 2023, Israeli forces pushed hundreds of thousands of civilians from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, claiming these areas were ‘safe humanitarian zones.’”

“Initially, these zones covered 230 square kilometers (89 square miles) or 63 percent of Gaza’s total area, including agricultural land and commercial, economic, and service facilities spread across 120 square kilometers (46 square miles).”

“As the Israeli military offensives continued, the size of these so-called safe zones shrank dramatically,” the statement added.

The civil defense service explained that by early December 2023, following the Israeli army’s incursion into Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the designated humanitarian areas were reduced to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), accounting for 38.3 percent of Gaza’s total area. These areas included some agricultural land as well as economic, commercial, and service establishments.

“Further reductions occurred in May 2024, during Israel’s incursion into Rafah, when the humanitarian zone shrank to 79 square kilometers (30.5 square miles), or 20 percent of Gaza’s total area.”

“By mid-June 2024, the zone was reduced to 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), accounting for just 16.4 percent of Gaza’s total area. The area encompassed roads, streets, service areas, and even cemeteries, none of which could be considered truly safe havens for displaced civilians.”

“In mid-July 2024, the area deemed “safe” by the Israeli forces was reduced again, this time to 48 square kilometers (18.5 square miles), or 13.15 percent of Gaza’s total area.”

“Finally, as of August 2024, the Israeli army has reduced these ‘safe humanitarian zones’ to a mere 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles), or 9.5 percent of Gaza’s total area. This zone includes only about 3.5 percent of agricultural, service, and commercial areas, further shrinking the spaces where civilians can seek refuge,” the service said, highlighting how Israeli forces systematically destroyed the “safe zones”.

The ongoing reduction of these safe zones has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as civilians have fewer places to escape Israel’s relentless attacks on them.