Even before Israel\u2019s war in Gaza started, the territory was one of the most densely populated places on the planet, described by United Nations officials as an \u201copen-air prison.\u201d Now, Israeli forces are expanding their operations, cramming the population into an ever-shrinking patch of land. <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s latest military offensive, named \u201cGideon\u2019s Chariots,\u201d aims to finally \u201cconquer\u201d the territory, as one government minister put it. Almost 80% of the enclave has come under evacuation orders or been designated as a militarized zone since March 18 when Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas, according to the UN. Since then, Israel has a declared policy \u2013 backed by the US \u2013 to encourage resettlement of Gaza\u2019s residents. <\/p>\n
As part of the \u201cintensified operation,\u201d Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the whole population of Gaza \u2013 around 2 million people \u2013 will be displaced to the south of the 140 square-mile territory. <\/p>\n
The Israeli military claims the operation is aimed at destroying Hamas and freeing hostages. Meanwhile, Israel\u2019s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the operation could lead to a complete takeover of the territory. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip,\u201d he said after Israel\u2019s security cabinet approved the expanded campaign. <\/p>\n
See what Israel\u2019s expanding operation means on the ground, in five maps. <\/p>\n
Some Gazans in the north say they have fled to the nearby coastline in a last-ditch effort to escape the renewed bombardment, exhausted by Israel\u2019s 19-month assault. Others are sleeping in tents surrounded by the rubble of their former homes, fearful to leave in case they are forced out of Gaza. <\/p>\n
Since Israel broke the ceasefire in mid-March, at least 2-3 kilometers (1.2-1.9 miles) into Gaza\u2019s land border is a no-go zone, which includes a 1 kilometer-wide (around 0.6 miles) buffer area next to Israeli territory where homes, factories and farmland have been systematically levelled. <\/p>\n
Access to the Mediterranean Sea to fish is all but banned. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), most fishing boats have been destroyed and Palestinians fishing meters from the shore have been targeted. <\/p>\n
Another militarized corridor was established in early April \u2014 the Israeli-demarcated \u201cMorag Corridor\u201d in Rafah \u2014 with the stated intention of \u201cdividing the strip.\u201d This is one of at least four routes established to control Gaza by the Israeli military who demolish and clear all buildings and cropland to make way for them. <\/p>\n
At least 31 evacuation orders have been issued by Israeli forces since March 18 this year covering large areas of the strip, sometimes at the rate of two a day. As a result, an estimated 600,000 people in Gaza have been displaced in that time (this figure includes people who may have been displaced multiple times), according to the United Nations-led Site Management Cluster. <\/p>\n
In northern Gaza, these orders have recently been accompanied by instructions to move south, despite ongoing attacks there too. This week, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for most of southern Gaza with directives to head toward the Al-Mawasi area, ahead of what its spokesperson said would be an \u201cunprecedented attack.\u201d <\/p>\n
Aid groups have criticized the use of these directives, branding them as confusing, often inaccurate and overly reliant on an internet connection which most people in Gaza only have intermittent access to. The delivery mechanism is varied, with some receiving text messages or phone calls ahead of an attack, while for others the first sign is incoming Israeli fire. On the ground, Gaza no longer looks familiar to residents, with most landmarks destroyed or damaged, including shops, trees and roads, making it much more difficult to navigate. In order to move around, people need to pass through heavily militarized checkpoints, usually on foot. <\/p>\n