The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to escalate their systematic destruction of remaining homes and residential neighborhoods across the Gaza Strip. Through intensified aerial bombardments, they target houses after forcing residents to evacuate through phone calls and direct threats. This forms part of a broader policy aimed at destroying what remains of Gaza’s homes and civilian infrastructure, after more than 80% of the Strip’s housing stock has already been destroyed during more than 1,000 days of the ongoing genocide.

Statistics collected by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’ (PCHR) researchers indicate that the bombardment and destruction of homes have become a daily pattern, targeting entire residential blocks. The IOF force hundreds of civilians to evacuate under threat before completely destroying or severely damaging their homes. As a result, more areas across the Gaza Strip are rendered uninhabitable, deliberately undermining any possibility for Palestinians to remain in or return to their areas.

This escalation coincides with the IOF continued commission of mass killings on a daily basis through attacks on civilian gatherings, displacement tents, civilian vehicles, and people in the streets, alongside the ongoing expansion of the “Yellow Zone.” These measures further constrain more than two million Palestinians, most of whom are now living in worn-out tents or makeshift shelters that lack the minimum conditions necessary for human survival, amid extreme summer heat, the spread of diseases, severe water shortages, and the near-total collapse of the healthcare system and other essential services.

Among the most prominent violations documented by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) over the past few days are the following:

At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 18 July 2026, an Israeli drone targeted people gathered at Dolah Intersection in al-Zaytoun neighborhood, Gaza City. The strike killed three Palestinians, including a child: Salem Tawfiq Abu Zoar (48), Ahmed Nemer Abu Zoar (47), and Lu’ay ‘Alaa al-Mbayed (17). Two other civilians were injured and were transferred to the Arab Ahli Hospital for treatment.

At approximately 16:50 on Friday, 17 July 2026, an Israeli drone targeted people gathered outside a grocery store for the Hathat family, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp. The attack killed seven Palestinians and injured 22 others, some of whom sustained critical injuries. The strike coincided with mourners leaving a nearby funeral prayer, at a time when the area was crowded.

At approximately 15:00 on the same day, Israeli soldiers positioned inside the Yellow Zone opened fire on tents sheltering displaced persons southwest of al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. As a result, Amani Ibrahim Hassan Abu Jazar (46) was killed after being struck by a bullet in the head.

At approximately 13:40 on Friday, 17 July 2026, an Israeli drone struck people gathered outside Abu Tammam School, which shelters displaced persons in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. As a result, Angham ‘Abdullah al-‘Attar (52) was killed and several others were injured.

At approximately 13:15 on the same day, an Israeli drone targeted people gathered near al-Sawarha Cemetery, southwest of the Nuseirat refugee camp. As a result, Taher Ahmed Salem ‘Abdul Wahed (33) was killed and two others, including a woman, were injured

At approximately 12:50, an Israeli drone attacked people gathered at Ghurab Roundabout in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Central Gaza Strip, injuring four Palestinians. At around 15:00, medical sources announced that one of the wounded, Suleiman Ibrahim Hussein Farajallah (37), had succumbed to his injuries.

At approximately 02:50, an Israeli military helicopter struck an apartment on the third floor of al-Taj Tower (1) on al-Yarmouk Street in Gaza City. The attack killed Mohammed Tayseer ‘Obeid (40), injured six residents of the tower, and caused extensive damage to the apartment and its surroundings.

At approximately 01:25, Israeli warplanes targeted a house belonging to the Murtaja family near the Palestinian Monetary Authority, west of Gaza City, injuring six Palestinians.

At approximately 21:40 on Thursday, 16 July 2026, an Israeli drone struck a tent sheltering displaced people south of Gaza Port, killing Nihad Riyad ‘Arrouq (33), injuring several others, and damaging nearby tents.

At approximately 18:45 on the same day, an Israeli drone targeted people gathered near al-Sanafour Roundabout in al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City. The attack killed Mohammed ‘Ahed al-Rifi (37) and Suhail Salah Abu Khader (40).

At approximately 11:24, an Israeli drone targeted a civilian vehicle near Asdaa City, northwest of al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. As a result, Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Nemer Hamdan (34) was killed, five displaced people were injured, and several displacement tents were damaged.

At approximately 00:30, Israeli artillery shelled the area surrounding al-Rida Mosque, east of al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. The shelling killed Ibrahim Radwan Khattab (37) and injured five other people.

At approximately 22:20 on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, an Israeli warplane targeted a house belonging to al-Hajj family in Block 6 of al-Bureij refugee camp, around half an hour after the IOF had called residents ordering the evacuation of an entire residential block. The strike completely destroyed the house and caused extensive damage to four nearby houses and several more. No casualties were reported.

At approximately 21:30 on the same day, an Israeli warplane targeted a house belonging to Matar family at the entrance to al-Hasaynah area, west of Nuseirat refugee camp, after the IOF had ordered residents to evacuate the area by phone. The strike destroyed the house, which had previously been targeted, caused extensive damage to neighboring houses, and injured four people.

At approximately 20:48, an Israeli warplane targeted the house of Sa’eed Baraka on al-Barouk Street in Deir al-Balah, after ordering the evacuation of an entire residential block by phone. The attack destroyed the upper two floors of the house, caused severe damage to the remaining parts of the building as well as nearby homes and shops, and injured two people, including a girl.

At approximately 20:25, an Israeli warplane targeted Hassan Mohammed Salem al-Nabrisi’s house near Qasr al-Sultan Wedding Hall, northwest of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, after the IOF had called residents ordering the evacuation of the hall and surrounding homes. The strike completely destroyed the house and caused damage to several neighboring houses.

These developments indicate that the IOF’s destruction of homes following the forced evacuation of their residents serves no legitimate military necessity. Rather, it forms part of a calculated policy aimed at erasing Gaza’s urban landscape, depriving the civilian population of their right to adequate housing, and creating conditions in which return to their homes and areas become virtually impossible. This policy aligns with the broader pattern of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing pursued by the IOF in parallel with mass killings, starvation, and siege.

These developments on the ground reveal IOF’s accelerating campaign to destroy what remains of the means essential for life in the Gaza Strip. This campaign combines largescale killings, the systematic destruction of homes, and the continuous expansion of closed military zones, confining more than two million Palestinians to an ever-shrinking area under catastrophic conditions that no longer provide even the minimum essentials for survival.

PCHR reiterates its call on the international community to take urgent and effective action to bring an end to the crime of genocide; compel Israel to immediately cease its attacks on civilians and civilian objects; halt the systematic destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure; ensure the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid; hold all those responsible for crimes committed against Palestinian civilians accountable; and put an end to the prevailing culture of impunity that has enabled these crimes to continue and escalate.