1.8 Million Palestinians Are Currently Packed Into An Airport-Sized Zone & This Is What It Looks Like
The Palestinian people faced an onslaught of destruction for 62 days, even during the “humanitarian pause.” Now the situation is even worse as since the start of the genocide, Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homes across the Gaza Strip. Today, Israel continues to bombard the south of Gaza after the collapse of the truce and the only refuge for Palestinians are safe zone options. When placing a lens on one of the 5 districts of Palestine known as Khan Younis which sits between Rafah and Deir al-Balah, the situation becomes even more alarming. Khan Younis which was once rendered safe has now become a ‘dangerous combat zone’. The Israeli army has told Khan Younis residents to evacuate to what they call a “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi.
This comes after Israel stepped up its bombing of southern Gaza especially in the area around Khan Younis as the Israeli military believes that it is sheltering the leaders of Hamas. The question is if this space can accommodate the more than 1.8 million Palestinians who have been forced to evacuate their homes since the start of the genocide. Now when taking a look at the size of al-Mawasi, we are talking about a space of 6.5 square kilometers, one that is smaller than Heathrow Airport. This one km wide and 14km long desolate and sandy terrain is what Israel designated as a safe space for Palestinians.
Bushra Khalidi, a Ramallah-based legal expert said that “Gaza was already overpopulated… [now] we’re talking about 1.8 million people in an airport.” Even the WHO criticized the entire concept of cramming that number of people in such a small space, “It is going to already increase risks to health for people who are already on the brink.”
