A new report on conditions in the Gaza Strip says that roughly 1.8 million Palestinians—86 % of the population—living in displacement sites often face inhumane living conditions.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) published its findings on Thursday, almost three years after the October 7 terror attacks against Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, and a year after the phased October 10 ceasefire plan that was supposed to usher in the war’s end.
“The October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to end civilians’ suffering. Nearly a year on, it exists largely in name only. Displacement in Gaza has not ended; it has changed shape,” the report says.
The findings are based on group discussions with 195 people living in internal displacement camps across five governorates in Gaza.
What did the DRC say about the Yellow Line?
Entitled “Confined by Design: The Human Cost of Protracted Displacement in Gaza,” the report accuses Israel of “a policy of protracted displacement” since the ceasefire deal was reached.
One means of ensuring this, the DRC says, is the so‑called “Yellow Line,” which demarcates the area of eastern Gaza near the border that is controlled by the Israeli military and is, according to the report, creeping toward the coast.
“In addition to protracted displacement for hundreds of thousands of people, the defining feature of the so‑called ceasefire is the Yellow Line which continues expanding westward and swallowing up more land, effectively squeezing families into 30 % of Gaza’s territory,” said the NGO’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territories, Alan Moseley.
Other groups, including the UN, have also reported the westward movement of the Yellow Line, as has the Israeli government, although some details differ.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put the share of Gaza’s territory inside the Yellow Line at 60 % rather than 70 %, but he also said the plan was to expand the area.
The DRC report also said aid organizations “describe being unable to operate within several kilometres of the line, either due to access constraints or security concerns.” It said that this led to crucial aid and supplies failing to reach displacement camps nearer the boundary.
What did the report say about living conditions in displacement camps?
The DRC and the Agricultural Development Association (PARC) highlighted a series of major shortcomings in the often informal tent shelters and makeshift camps that have sprung up amid Gaza’s rubble, where more than eight in ten residents are believed to be living.
These included but were not limited to:
- 80 % of respondents reported shortages of water for both washing and drinking
- Displaced households rely on outdoor cesspits
- Multiple families share single latrines, increasing the risk of gender‑based violence and abuse
- Rat and rodent infestations are exacerbated by unsanitary conditions
- Food scarcity and lack of cooking infrastructure raise the risk of burns or injury while preparing meals
- Rapid localized spread of illnesses and infections occurred; for example, more than 4 000 chickenpox cases were recorded in Khan Younis displacement camps in July alone
- Medical facilities are lacking and overburdened, with only half of hospitals and just over a third of primary health‑care centres still operational
- Formal education provision for young people is lacking or non‑existent, now lasting almost three years in some cases
- Security concerns, particularly among men, persist because of continued artillery strikes, drones and stray gunfire
- Safety risks are posed by unexploded and undiscovered ordnance, especially when clearing rubble or returning to originally inhabited areas
The Danish Refugee Council also emphasized the lack of site‑management mechanisms at displacement camps. It said only 36 % of sites currently had a designated site manager, typically a national NGO, coordinating services and managing conditions. Sites with such partners “have a structured community channel through which a gap, such as a collapsing cesspit, a missing water delivery, or an unsafe walkway, can be identified, escalated, and resolved,” the report said.
Israel has not yet commented on the newly released report.
What actions did the DRC recommend?
The DRC and PARC issued a number of appeals and recommendations, some to “all parties to the conflict,” most to “the Government of Israel, as the occupying power of Gaza” and others to “the international community” and “donors and humanitarian actors.”
These included:
- Completely upholding pledges to cease hostilities
- Ending attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers and medical personnel
- Guaranteeing humanitarian access and medical evacuation pathways
- Supporting the establishment of a UN mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations
The groups called on Israel to “halt the further expansion of the Yellow Line” and to “disclose its current and future route transparently.” They also urged Israel to cease the construction of permanent military infrastructure in the area and to provide “credible assurance that current troop positions are not intended to be permanent.” They appealed for fewer restrictions on aid access, particularly so‑called “dual‑use” restrictions affecting medical supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene items, pest control, rubble removal and fuel.
The report also warned that political and donor interest in the situation had declined markedly in the year since the ceasefire, even though conditions had not improved proportionately.
UN report condemns Israeli military action in Gaza
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