The anatomy of a siege: Al-Zeitoun’s destruction and the strategy of erasure

For six days, Israeli occupation forces have destroyed the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City, demolishing approximately 400 homes using bomb-laden robots and airstrikes.

This extensive military operation mirrors similar attacks in Rafah, Khan Yunis, and northern Gaza, aimed at completely eradicating communities and forcibly displacing all remaining residents. These actions are part of a broader campaign of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The operation, which began on August 11, reflects Israel’s ongoing effort to fully occupy Gaza City. The goal is to evacuate long-time residents—up to one million people, mostly displaced from northern Gaza—forcing them into small, remote areas in the south.

Drones, particularly quadcopters, have been deployed to surround residential blocks and coerce civilians to leave under armed threat, while Israeli ground forces advance under heavy fire. So far, more than 90,000 residents have been displaced.

Israeli forces have demolished dozens of homes along Street 8 and at the beginning of the Hassan al-Banna area. Refugee tents have also been bombed, with one such attack killing seven people. Other affected structures include buildings near the University College of Applied Sciences (UCAS), Al-Falah and Ain Jalout schools, and a charitable shelter, resulting in additional civilian casualties.

Artillery and airstrikes continue to target various areas of Al-Zeitoun. Civilians killed near Ain Jalout school and Badr Mosque remain unrecovered due to ongoing bombardment.

About half of the Al-Zeitoun homes have been destroyed without any documented military necessity, despite no recent clashes in the area. This destruction follows the systematic use of automated explosives and bomb-carrying robots after forcibly displacing residents. The pattern indicates the objective was not military, but rather the destruction of infrastructure and the forced displacement of Palestinians.

The large-scale demolition in Al-Zeitoun, Gaza’s largest neighborhood, is part of a deliberate Israeli policy: completing a campaign of genocide and destroying Palestinian urban life through the eradication of homes, infrastructure, and access to basic livelihoods.

Human rights groups, including Euro-Med Monitor, assert that the international community—including the UN and global legal institutions—must intervene immediately to stop the killings, protect civilians, and hold Israeli leaders accountable for these horrific crimes against the civilian population.

Israel’s ongoing attacks and territorial expansion threaten to trigger an unprecedented mass killing in Gaza, undermining fragile humanitarian responses and marking a new chapter in the regime’s systematic genocide. These assaults are not spontaneous escalations on the battlefield, but deliberate policies, and the international community, through its silence, financial support, and political cover, bears full responsibility for the resulting crimes and tragedies.

Governments and organizations must exert maximum pressure on Israel to halt this “crime of starvation” and immediately end the illegal blockade of Gaza, restoring humanitarian access. This is the only way to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis and ensure the delivery of essential aid and supplies amid the looming threat of famine.