The Israeli military has repeatedly warned humanitarian workers in northern Gaza that only hospitals will be treated as protected sites, and all other aid infrastructure may be targeted. According to messages and conversations seen by the Guardian, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that an evacuation order for all residents of Gaza City—the territory’s largest urban center—applies to “all humanitarian locations except hospitals.” The IDF also warned that troops would operate “with great force” to defeat Hamas.
On Friday, the IDF announced it had expanded operations in Gaza City and bombed “Hamas infrastructure.” Between a quarter and half a million of the city’s estimated one million residents have already fled, but some displaced Palestinians say they have no means to leave. Vehicles for the six- to eight-hour journey south now cost as much as $2,000.
“The situation is really bad. All night long, the tank was firing shells,” said Toufic Abu Mouawad, who left a camp for the displaced on the outskirts of the city but had nowhere else to go. “I want to flee with the boys, the girls, the children. This is the situation we are living in. It is very tragic.”
Israeli officials say they are preparing a “humanitarian zone” in the overcrowded and underdeveloped al-Mawasi coastal area in southern Gaza. They are building new aid distribution sites nearby, supplying electricity to desalination plants, providing some water, and allowing more aid to enter.
Most of northern Gaza is already emptied of civilians and lies in ruins. If Israeli troops take control of Gaza City, the entire population of 2.1 million will be confined to a small enclave in the south. All entry points for goods and people into Gaza are currently in the south, with the Zikim checkpoint—which served the north—closed since last week.
Much of the north has been destroyed after 23 months of conflict and intensified systematic destruction by Israeli forces in recent months. Little of Gaza City is expected to be spared in the new offensive.
“People might want to go back, but what would they go back to? It is very difficult to imagine how it could work,” said one senior aid official in Gaza. “There is an emotional attachment, but there is a real question mark over how you would live.”
Aid workers are skeptical of the IDF’s claim that hospitals will be protected, as health facilities in Gaza have been repeatedly targeted during the conflict.
The Israeli army has built two new aid distribution hubs near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt. These will be operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S. and Israel-backed private organization that began work in May. The GHF had been running five sites where food boxes were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, but three are believed to have closed.
In an email, the GHF stated that 12 truckloads of food were distributed on Wednesday at two existing sites in the far south—one in the ruins of Rafah and another in Khan Younis. The new sites are located near the Egyptian border.
The main entry point from Israel into northern Gaza has been closed since last week. Aid convoys from the south face major logistical challenges and are often denied permission by the IDF. Last month, UN-backed experts declared a famine in Gaza City.
The IDF says it is expanding the Kissufim crossing to allow more aid to reach the designated “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi, though aid workers note this will only serve southern Gaza.
All aid into Gaza was blocked by Israel between March and May, with only minimal amounts allowed in until recent weeks. Currently, about 250 trucks bring food and other essentials into Gaza daily.According to experts, the amounts of aid entering Gaza were still far below what was needed, and strict limitations continued to be enforced.
“It’s certainly better than it was in June and July, but not enough to make a real difference in the famine, the number of children dying from malnutrition, or the daily lives of ordinary Gazans,” said Katy Crosby, senior director of policy and advocacy at Mercy Corps.
A large number of the trucks are commercial vehicles carrying items like soft drinks and snacks—products that are expensive but offer little nutritional value.
Many Israeli analysts and commentators view the renewed military push into Gaza City as politically motivated. They argue it aims to prolong the state of war, delaying early elections that could threaten Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, and to render northern Gaza uninhabitable—a goal that would appeal to the prime minister’s far-right allies.
Such actions could also pressure Palestinians to leave Gaza for good.
Cogat, the Israeli defense agency responsible for access to Gaza, issued guidance on Wednesday for Palestinians wishing to exit the territory. Meanwhile, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, was quoted in Hebrew media last week referring to Gaza as a “real-estate bonanza.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the IDFs statement regarding protected sites for aid workers in northern Gaza
General Definition Questions
1 What does it mean that only hospitals are protected sites
This means the Israeli Defense Forces have officially stated that in northern Gaza they will only guarantee the safety of international aid workers if those workers are physically located within a hospital compound Being anywhere else is considered highly dangerous and not under their protection
2 Why did the IDF make this statement
The IDF stated this to try to create a clear identifiable safe zone for aid workers amidst active combat The intention is to reduce the risk of aid workers being accidentally caught in crossfire or targeted in areas of military operations
3 Does protected mean these sites are completely safe
No Protected in this context is a legal and operational designation not a guarantee of absolute safety Hospitals in conflict zones can still be damaged by shelling face power outages or be near fighting making them perilous places
4 What is the legal basis for protecting hospitals
Hospitals are granted special protected status under International Humanitarian Law specifically the Geneva Conventions They are supposed to be neutral sanctuaries for the wounded and sick and for those caring for them
Practical Operational Questions
5 Where are aid workers supposed to go if theyre not at a hospital
The IDFs statement implies that aid workers should not be operating outside of hospitals in northern Gaza Their operations would be severely limited focusing solely on delivering aid to and working within these medical facilities
6 How do aid workers know which hospitals are considered protected
They would likely need to coordinate directly with the IDF or through military liaison channels to get updated specific lists of which hospital compounds are recognized as protected sites at any given time as this can change
7 What about aid deliveries Are convoys to hospitals protected
This is a major point of concern The statement focuses on the workers location not their route Traveling to and from the hospital in a convoy remains extremely dangerous and is not explicitly covered by this protection
8 Does this protection apply to all hospital staff or just international aid workers
The statement specifically refers to aid workers which typically means international personnel from organizations like the UN
