GAZA CITY — Israel has forcibly displaced around 270,000 Palestinians from Gaza City to the south under threat of bombardment and genocide, the Gaza Government Media Office said Saturday.

The office noted that while thousands fled south under heavy Israeli airstrikes, at least 22,000 have since returned to Gaza City after moving belongings, citing the absence of basic necessities in the south.

It estimated that more than 900,000 Palestinians remain in Gaza City and northern areas despite ongoing destruction and “crimes of permanent forced displacement.”

The statement also highlighted that the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis and Rafah — designated by Israel as a “safe humanitarian zone” — has been bombed more than 110 times, killing over 2,000 people. It said the area lacks hospitals, infrastructure, clean water, food, housing, electricity, and education, making survival “almost impossible.”

According to the office, Israel has designated just 12% of Gaza’s territory as “shelter zones” while attempting to force over 1.7 million people into them, likening the policy to “concentration camps” aimed at depopulating Gaza City and the north.

The office condemned Israel’s actions as “a full-fledged war crime and crime against humanity,” holding Israel, the United States, and other supporting states responsible.

It urged the international community, the UN, and international courts to intervene, hold Israeli leaders accountable, and protect Palestinians’ right to remain in their land with safety and dignity.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. — Agencies