July 22, 2025
With this latest order, the area of Gaza under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones has risen to 87.8%, leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a statement after the Israeli military expanded ground operations into central Gaza, which houses humanitarian warehouses, health clinics, and water infrastructure.
Why It Matters: The latest expansion of the Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip comes as Israeli forces believe some hostages taken during Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, are still alive and being held in the area. Meanwhile, the UK, Canada, Japan, and 25 other countries issued a joint statement on Monday criticizing Israel and calling for the war to end, saying, “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.”
Learn More:
- Israeli military launches first ground operation into central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah (EuroNews)
- Israel condemned by 25 nations over “inhumane killing” of Gaza civilians and “drip feeding of aid” as war expands (CBS News)
Image Credit: CIA World Factbook
by Stephanie Wagner, based in Florida
