Smoke rises from Gaza, as seen from the Israel, May 6, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
May 6, 2025
Israel’s announcement of plans to expand its military offensive in Gaza, including the displacement of civilians and control over aid distribution, has provoked alarm among Palestinian residents and condemnation from humanitarian organizations. The move comes after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on March 2, during which access to food and medicine had temporarily improved.
Widespread Civilian Displacement and Casualties
The announcement has sparked fears of further mass displacement in a territory where most of the 2.3 million residents have already been displaced multiple times over 19 months of conflict.
- In Gaza City, 30-year-old resident Aya, who returned home during the ceasefire, said Israel’s plan raised fears of “being killed or indefinitely displaced.”
- At a funeral in Gaza City for victims of a recent airstrike, resident Mohammed al-Seikaly questioned the continued escalation: “There is nothing left in the Gaza Strip that has not been struck… What’s left to bomb?”
On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least 37 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Seventeen people, including women and children, were killed in an attack on a school sheltering displaced families in Bureij camp.
The Israeli military claimed the school was being used by Hamas as a command center to store weapons and organize attacks.
Netanyahu: “Intensive” Campaign Ahead
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the next phase of the war as an “intensive” operation that will involve both military control over seized areas and the relocation of civilians “for their own safety.”
An Israeli official stated the objective includes southward relocation of the population and direct control of humanitarian aid, to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas.
UN and Civilian Response
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) rejected Israel’s plan, calling it “the opposite of what is needed.” Palestinian civilians voiced concern that aid distribution could be weaponized.
- Tamer, a resident of Khan Younis, said: “Will they arrest people and kill others before they let the rest into the areas they designate?”
Food Insecurity and Starvation
Conditions in Gaza have deteriorated rapidly:
- Civilians report severe food shortages, with some eating only once per day or resorting to weeds and turtle meat.
- Flour, when available, can cost up to $500 per sack, compared to 7 USD before the war.
- The World Food Programme reported on April 25 that it had run out of food stocks in the Strip.
Despite claims by Israeli officials that there is sufficient food in Gaza, Israel’s military chief reportedly warned the government that aid must be allowed in soon, according to broadcaster Kan.
Context of the Conflict
The current war began following Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign has led to the deaths of more than 52,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to local Hamas-run health authorities, and has left large parts of Gaza in ruins.
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