Al-Mawasi: Gaza humanitarian zone not humane, evacuees say

As Israel presses its military offensive across Gaza, the army has been repeatedly advising some two million civilians to move to a "humanitarian zone" smaller than London's Heathrow Airport.

Al-Mawasi is a narrow strip of land by the Mediterranean Sea. It has few buildings and largely consists of sandy dunes and agricultural land.

The zone designated as safe by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is just 8.5 sq km (3.3 sq miles).

Reem Abd Rabu has spent the last few weeks sleeping on the ground and sharing a tent with four other families in the area.

She is one of the 1.8 million Palestinians who have been displaced since the war began on 7 October after Hamas's attack on Israel.

She first travelled to Khan Younis after fleeing northern Gaza, but after nearby houses were bombed, she said she felt she had to go to the place the Israeli army identified on the map as safe.

Reem told the BBC al-Mawasi was an abandoned place, "not a place for human beings".

She thought it would be safe from the intense bombardment and fighting, but when she arrived, she found little to no basic services.

"Water comes one day and not for the next 10 days, even in the bathrooms. And it's the same thing for electricity," she told the BBC.

The IDF has urged civilians to move to al-Mawasi on at least 15 occasions on social media, the last on 2 December.

The first mention of the humanitarian zone was on 18 October, when the IDF's Arabic spokesperson posted on X: "The IDF orders Gaza residents to move to the humanitarian zone in the area of al-Mawasi, to which international humanitarian aid will be directed if necessary."

Another post, from 21 October, stated: "If your life and the lives of those you love are important to you, head south of Wadi Gaza. We advise you to arrive at the humanitarian area in Mawasi according to our instructions."

Little to no internet connectivity has made it difficult for people to find safe areas in other parts of Gaza.

However, even the IDF instructions on al-Mawasi have changed several times. Civilians say the changing messaging has made it difficult for them to know exactly where to find safety there too.

Each IDF post has been accompanied by a map pinpointing a small area within al-Mawasi that Gazans should evacuate to.

But different areas in al-Mawasi have been designated as "humanitarian zones" by Israel on different dates.

On 18 October, the IDF designated the humanitarian zone marked in purple below. But three days later, the IDF declared a different area - shown in blue.

Then, on 30 October, the area changed again - to the one marked in green.