The Gaza Strip has witnessed, since October 7, an unprecedented escalation in Israeli occupation policies aimed at confiscating lands, forcibly displacing the indigenous population, and imposing control by force. These violations have not been limited to targeting and killing civilians through direct and brutal means, but have extended to infringing on fundamental rights to property and housing, resulting in a severe deterioration of legal and humanitarian conditions.

According to reports by the Palestinian Observatory for Internal Displacement, 42% of homes in the Gaza Strip have suffered partial damage, while 52% were completely destroyed. The attacks have also affected agricultural lands, which are vital for food security and a primary source of employment for thousands of families. FAO reports indicate that around 95% of these lands have become unsuitable for cultivation due to the establishment of buffer zones and land confiscation. Only 5% of agricultural land remains usable after the destruction of farms, seeds, irrigation networks, fishing facilities, livestock, and fruit trees.

Consequently, Gaza—which used to produce over 30% of its food needs locally—is now unable to provide even the minimum daily sustenance, under systematic policies aimed at destroying its food sovereignty, as confirmed by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.

Based on the above, this report presents a detailed account of statistics concerning violations of the right to property, housing, and land in Gaza, including first-hand testimonies from citizens and farmers reflecting the scale of suffering on the ground. It also provides an analysis of the international legal framework regarding these violations, highlighting their legal and humanitarian dimensions and their conflict with international humanitarian law and human rights standards.

Section One: Analysis of the International Legal Basis for the Protection of Housing and Property Rights under the Geneva Conventions and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

Data indicate that 86% of the Gaza Strip is now either closed military zones or subject to evacuation orders, constituting a blatant violation of the right to property and housing guaranteed under international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The systematic conduct of the Israeli occupation—destroying homes, forcibly displacing original residents, sabotaging agricultural lands, seizing properties, and creating buffer zones—demonstrates an organized pattern of violations undermining the right to housing and a dignified life, constituting serious breaches of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions.

In a documented written statement dated September 31, 2025, provided for this report, lawyer Mohammed Sami Al-Shiyah affirmed that the right to private property is explicitly guaranteed under Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the right to adequate housing is guaranteed under Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. These rights are indivisible and may not be arbitrarily restricted or violated under security pretexts. Al-Shiyah considered these policies a form of forced displacement amounting to a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Section Two: Effects of the Forced Establishment of Buffer Zones (Land Confiscation – Property Destruction – Deprivation of Livelihoods)

The Israeli occupation has established what is known as the “buffer zone” across large areas of Gaza, reducing the available space in the Strip and negatively impacting residents and farmers. This policy appears as an attempt to enforce long-term military control by dividing the Strip into separate areas connected by corridors, significantly expanding the existing buffer zone along the border with Israel, and creating new roads that did not previously exist.

Confiscating vast areas of agricultural and residential land to convert them into buffer zones effectively displaces tens of thousands of Palestinian families, depriving them of their lands and homes, exacerbating internal displacement, and undermining any possibility of reconstruction or a return to normal life. These measures constitute collective punishment. The Palestinian Observatory for Internal Displacement reports that forced displacement rates reached 100% in Rafah, 51% in Khan Younis, 41% in Deir al-Balah, 78% in Gaza City, and 84% in the northern Gaza Strip.

In a documented statement dated September 2, 2023, lawyer Hassna Abu Sido confirmed that the buffer zone policy along the eastern and northern borders constitutes a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of Palestinians. It deprives thousands of citizens of their agricultural land and livelihoods, destroys homes and properties in surrounding areas, and amounts to collective punishment in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. She added that the policy lacks any legal basis or legitimate military justification under the principles of proportionality and necessity.

Abu Sido further explained that Gaza’s buffer zone policy is illegal, constitutes serious violations of international humanitarian law, and requires international accountability and victim compensation. Converting public and private land into restricted military zones directly impacts Palestinians’ economic and social rights, threatens the livelihoods of thousands of families reliant on agriculture—particularly in the eastern Gaza Strip—and increases population density while reducing the geographic space available for civilian life in an already besieged area.

Section Three: Impact of Buffer Zones on Agricultural Lands, Farmers, Landowners, and Gaza’s Social and Demographic Structure

Agriculture in Gaza is a cornerstone of life, contributing to food security, job creation, and support for the local economy. Agricultural land accounts for about 41% of the total area of Gaza, giving it strategic importance in the local economy. Residents rely on vegetable and fruit production, as well as exporting certain crops abroad, providing a primary income source for thousands of farmers.

Since October 7, 2023, agricultural lands have suffered extensive destruction due to the Israeli occupation’s systematic policies, including the expansion of buffer zones along the eastern and northern borders and the seizure of large areas of farmland for military and settlement corridors. According to FAO, less than 5% of agricultural land remains arable, over 80% has been directly affected, 32.8% of agricultural wells destroyed, and 33.6% of land access restricted.

The occupation has pursued a deliberate destructive policy to eliminate food security in Gaza, bulldozing approximately 90% of agricultural lands, including 35,000 dunams in Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and eastern Jabalia, removing these areas entirely from production. In Rafah, residents have been completely denied access to about 25,000 dunams of farmland, meaning 45% of total agricultural land is out of production.

In a documented statement dated September 7, 2025, agricultural engineer Iman Nofal confirmed that Gaza’s agricultural sector is experiencing its worst phase due to vast areas falling within occupation-controlled buffer zones. She noted that the ongoing war since October 7 has exacerbated farmers’ suffering, particularly due to water scarcity or high salinity, causing major crop damage. She explained that the occupation deliberately targets and destroys water wells and greenhouses, and with weak agricultural resources and declining institutional support due to the war and instability, Gaza’s food security is under severe threat.

Section Four: Documented Victim Testimonies

In a documented personal testimony for this report dated September 2, 2025, Mr. Ibrahim Abu Ahmed, a displaced person from eastern Shujaiya currently residing in Al-Madina Camp, recounted:
"Like any citizen in Gaza, the Israeli occupation destroyed my home on October 8, 2023, the second day of the war. They didn’t stop there; they bulldozed my land inherited from my father, planted with olive trees older than the occupation itself. This land was my family’s source of income from selling olives and oil annually. Today, the occupation has seized both my home and land, especially since they are located on the eastern border of Shujaiya, now classified as a dangerous combat and buffer zone. It seems we will never return."

Farmer Ahmed Mohammed Atta Abu Jameh from eastern Khan Younis provided a documented written statement on September 4, 2025:
"I had land in eastern Khaza’a, on the eastern border of Khan Younis. I used to cultivate it with my children, providing food and selling the surplus locally, which was our only income source. After October 7, during the extermination war we are enduring, the occupation bulldozed my land and shot my father, who died instantly, along with all my children. My land was confiscated and is now part of the buffer zone created by the occupation. My life is completely destroyed; I lost my father, children, and land—my source of income and dignity."

Section Five: International Community Responsibility Regarding Housing and Property Rights

The Israeli occupation exploits the vacuum in international justice to implement a systematic policy of geographic cleansing in Gaza since October 7, 2023, aiming to eliminate rights guaranteed by laws, treaties, and international resolutions. This constitutes a blatant violation of the right to property and housing.

Any measures to enforce “buffer zones” inside Gaza lack legal legitimacy and constitute clear breaches of international obligations, directly threatening the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. Documenting these practices is necessary to include them in the record of violations, urging the UN and international human rights bodies to intervene urgently to halt them and ensure protection of inalienable Palestinian rights.

It is evident that the systematic policies of the Israeli occupation since October 7, 2023, have resulted in widespread violations of Palestinians’ fundamental rights, including property and housing, caused massive destruction of homes and farmland, and forced thousands of families into displacement. All evidence indicates that these actions constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, directly threatening food security and the right to a dignified life. Immediate international intervention is therefore critical to protect Palestinians’ inalienable rights, hold perpetrators accountable, and provide urgent legal and humanitarian support to affected populations.

Recommendations

1. The Palestinian National Authority should exert urgent and intensive efforts to immediately stop hostilities and protect civilians from violations.
2. The international community must impose immediate sanctions on Israel for violating international resolutions and failing to comply with international humanitarian law, and conduct independent investigations into attacks on farmers and fishermen that resulted in casualties.
3. Collaborate with the international community to rebuild the agricultural sector, rehabilitate the remaining 5% of arable land, protect farmers striving to retain their lands, and empower them economically.
4. Local communities and human rights organizations must document these violations in official records and demand urgent intervention from the UN and international human rights bodies.
5. Immediate international pressure is needed to stop land confiscation and forced displacement and to ensure legal and humanitarian protection for affected populations.
6. The Palestinian National Authority must assume legal and national responsibility to activate international law mechanisms before the International Criminal Court to hold violators accountable.

References and Sources

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Union of Agricultural Work Committees
• Palestinian Observatory for Internal Displacement
• Documented written statement of lawyer Mohammed Sami Al-Shiyah, dated 31/9/2025
• Documented statement of lawyer Hassna Abu Sido, dated 2/9/2023
• Personal documented testimony of Ibrahim Abu Ahmed, Al-Madina Camp, dated 2/9/2025
• Documented written statement of farmer Ahmed Mohammed Atta Abu Jameh, dated 4/9/2025
• Geneva Conventions
• International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
• Documented written statement of agricultural engineer Iman Nofal, dated 7/9/2029