![A view of the destruction at the Abu Hamisa School, a Palestinian shelter in the al-Buraij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip following the Israeli attacks in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on May 7, 2025. [Ali Jadallah - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AA-20250507-37870426-37870389-ISRAELI_ARMY_ATTACKS_THE_SCHOOL_SHELTERING_PALESTINIANS_IN_BUREIJ_REFUGEE_CAMP-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Amnesty International today called on Israel to immediately abandon any plans to annex the Gaza Strip or forcibly transfer the Palestinian population.
“After imposing two months of full siege on Gaza, Israel’s declared intentions to expand its already devastating military offensive, further entrench its unlawful occupation of the Gaza Strip,” Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior official at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
The group warned that such moves would represent grave violations of international law.
On Sunday, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to expand its war on Gaza and occupy more territory inside the Palestinian enclave, raising fears of a full occupation of the enclave.
“Any move by Israel to displace Palestinians to the south of the Gaza Strip and confine them into so-called ‘closed bubbles,’ or continue to impose inhumane conditions of life to push Palestinians out of Gaza, would amount to the war crime of unlawful transfer or deportation,” said Amnesty.
READ: Gaza nearing total collapse as aid access severely restricted: Red Cross
It added that if such actions are carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians, they would constitute crimes against humanity.
“These plans demonstrate Israel’s utter disregard for international law and its contempt for the rights of Palestinians,” said Rosas.
She added that any attempt to weaponise humanitarian aid, use it to coerce forced displacement, or create discriminatory aid zones would also violate international law and must be rejected.
Calling the Israeli plans “dangerous,” Rosas urged the international community to “unequivocally reject” such measures and pressure Israel to fulfill its legal obligations and ensure full humanitarian access to Gaza.
Nearly 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.
Since 2 March, Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings completely sealed, banning the entry of food, water, medical and humanitarian aid, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights and international reports.
More than 52,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in October 2023, the majority of them women and children.