Expanding areas under Israeli control in Gaza increase risks to civilians, UN warns

The alert comes amid continued displacement and mounting humanitarian pressures across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

In a statement, the combined Humanitarian Country Team in the OPT said the expansion of the area under Israeli control, together with movement restrictions, are limiting access for aid workers and reducing the space available for civilians already displaced by the conflict.

Lethal force used for access

According to the statement, Israeli forces have used lethal force to enforce access restrictions in areas they control since the start of the stuttering ceasefire agreement.

Between 10 October 2025 and early April, the UN verified the killing of 196 Palestinians in Israeli attacks reported near areas where Israeli forces are deployed. Those killed include 18 women and 43 children.

Many of those killed were reportedly moving through areas that lacked clear demarcation on the ground, while many others were injured.

Impact on aid

The statement also highlighted the impact on humanitarian operations, saying restrictions on movement continue to cause delays and interruptions to life-saving assistance.

Some humanitarian partners have had to reduce or temporarily suspend critical activities, affecting thousands of families, particularly following the killing of service providers working in those areas

‘Shrinking’ available space

The UN and its humanitarian partners also warned that expanding control measures are shrinking the areas available to civilians.

Most Palestinians in Gaza have already been displaced multiple times and are now concentrated in increasingly limited areas.

According to the UN, access-restricted areas now cover about 65 per cent of Gaza's land, with most areas off limits to residents and all requiring humanitarian organisations to coordinate access. Access by sea also remains prohibited.

Targeting must end

The UN and humanitarian non-governmental organisations reiterated their call for an immediate end to the targeting of Palestinians who are deemed to be straying too close to Israeli forces.

Civilians must always be protected in line with international humanitarian and human rights law., they urged.

The UN said families fled an area of Beit Lahia in Gaza after Israeli forces advanced, reportedly setting three tents ablaze by dropping incendiary munitions from the air and placing yellow cement blocks marking a further expansion of the "Yellow Line".

Health impact

Humanitarian agencies also warned that skin diseases and acute watery diarrhoea continue to spread, driven by overcrowding and poor water and sanitation conditions.

The aid response remains constrained by severe access restrictions and funding shortages, with less than a quarter of this year's humanitarian appeal funded so far.

Amid these challenges, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said this week that it had cleared half of the solid waste mountain which has accumulated through the conflict at Firas Market in Gaza, describing it as a significant step towards restoring the historic commercial hub.

Some 250,000 cubic metres of waste have been removed, clearing 75 per cent of the market area.