Gaza: The Transformation of Ceasefire Arrangements into Instruments of Urbicide and Demographic Erasure

The ongoing crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip warrant the strongest possible condemnation.

The persistence of bombardment, the systematic demolition of residential buildings, and the direct targeting of civilians constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, reflecting the determination of the occupation authorities to pursue policies of killing, destruction, and forced displacement within the context of ongoing acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.

On Tuesday, 14 July 2026, Israeli occupation forces killed 11 Palestinians, including seven in an airstrike on a police checkpoint in Jabalia Camp — among them a police station director and several officers. The forces also summarily executed Bilal Abu Musa, a humanitarian aid truck driver, shooting him in the Al-Mawasi area of Rafah. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, the death toll of Palestinians whose bodies have reached hospitals since the beginning of the genocide has reached 73,233.

The occupation continues to expand its military control through extending the "Yellow Line" and establishing new buffer zones, transforming the temporary arrangements accompanying the ceasefire agreement into instruments for reshaping the Gaza Strip geographically and demographically, and imposing field realities that prevent the return of residents. Occupation forces have taken the Yellow Line as a launch point for seizing further areas and tightening the siege on civilians. In recent days, operations to destroy what remains of residential buildings — including partially damaged structures — have intensified, confirming that targeting now extends beyond the urban fabric to the systematic erasure of residential neighborhoods and the elimination of any habitable environment, in preparation for uprooting the Palestinian presence from its land.

Approximately 65% of the Gaza Strip is now under the control of Israeli occupation forces, with Palestinians continuing to be prevented from returning to wide areas of the Strip and repeated orders of forced displacement being imposed. Meanwhile, approximately 2.1 million Palestinians are being pushed into overcrowding within no more than 35% of the Strip's area, amid near-total collapse of basic services, and sharp deterioration in health and environmental conditions.

This percentage does not reflect the actual reality of overcrowding experienced by the population. A large portion of the remaining area has become unfit for life due to systematic destruction; destroyed building debris covers it, road networks and infrastructure are disabled, waste and war remnants accumulate, water sources are contaminated, sewage networks have collapsed, agricultural land has been destroyed, and any prerequisites for establishing safe displacement centers are absent.

Estimates indicate Israel has dropped more than 150,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip over approximately two years, destroying roughly 90% of infrastructure, damaging more than 440,000 housing units, forcibly displacing more than two million Palestinians, and leaving more than 55 million tons of rubble across cities and residential neighborhoods.

The continuation of occupation control over most of the Strip, coupled with daily civilian killings, demonstrates that what remains of Gaza has transformed into an open killing field. Civilians are targeted inside residential neighborhoods, shelter centers, displacement areas, and near occupation force deployment sites, amid continued airstrikes, artillery shelling, direct gunfire, sniper fire, and systematic targeting of what remains of the health system — in flagrant violation of the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions required to protect civilians.

Statements by senior Israeli officials reinforce evidence of criminal intent related to genocide. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court, pledged to continue destroying Gaza's homes until no shelter remains for Palestinians, and revealed efforts to extend military control over approximately 70% of the Strip. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated during his visit to the northern Strip on 13 July that the destruction is "the result of a calculated policy," expressing comfort at Gaza's destruction, and announced his intention to establish three military-style settlement outposts inside the Strip — confirming a declared orientation to entrench occupation and impose permanent geographic and demographic change.

These practices constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibits targeting civilians, destroying civilian property, and forced displacement of populations under occupation. They also breach Articles 51 and 57 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions concerning civilian protection and precautions during attacks. The accumulated facts — including the expanding scope of killing, destruction, starvation, and displacement, coupled with public statements by Israeli officials — point to serious indications of acts amounting to the crime of genocide, in accordance with the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Institutional Position

The systematic erasure of residential neighborhoods, forced displacement, and catastrophic civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The absence of effective international intervention, compounded by expanding military control and the denial of humanitarian access, entrenches impunity. Furthermore, the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, alongside siege, starvation, and demographic engineering, directly assaults human dignity and the fundamental right to life. When occupying authorities fail to investigate these acts or permit unimpeded aid, they dismantle essential safeguards for civilian protection and public accountability. Immediate corrective measures and international intervention are urgently required to enforce compliance with international legal obligations and secure justice.

Demands Aligned with International Human Rights Principles

Women Journalists Without Chains

Geneva, Switzerland — July 17, 2026