Dr. Salah Abd al-Ati Warns of Plans to Empty Gaza and Turn It into a Disaster Zone

Date: September 9, 2025

Press Release
Dr. Salah Abd al-Ati Warns of Plans to Empty Gaza and Turn It into a Disaster Zone

The Head of the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR), Dr. Salah Abd al-Ati, affirmed that more than one million Palestinians remain in Gaza City and the northern Strip despite the systematic bombardment and destruction targeting their homes, residential towers, historical landmarks, and civilian facilities, as part of a forced displacement policy in violation of international law.

He explained that thousands of displaced persons have returned to western Gaza after the areas designated by the occupation—amounting to no more than 12% of the Strip’s territory and lacking shelter and services—failed to accommodate them. This exposes the falsehood of the so-called “safe zones,” especially amid ongoing daily attacks and widespread famine across the Strip.

Abd al-Ati warned of the grave danger of the continued crimes of genocide, starvation, and forced displacement aimed at emptying Gaza of its inhabitants and transforming it into an uninhabitable disaster area in line with declared Israeli-American schemes. He added that the destruction of Gaza City, its neighborhoods, and the displacement of its residents does not only erase its features but also destroys the very idea of reconstruction and recovery after the war, eliminating any discussion of a so-called “day after.”

He stressed that what is taking place constitutes a political genocide of the Palestinian cause following the human genocide, pointing out that the next target after Gaza is the West Bank and Jerusalem, within the framework of plans to establish the so-called “Greater Israel.” He emphasized that this stage is the most dangerous since the Balfour Declaration—indeed greater than the Nakba of 1948—in light of Israel’s declared rejection of the maps and sovereignty of the region’s states, and its continued aggression against Palestinians, neighboring countries, and international law. This, he said, necessitates Palestinian unity and urgent Arab and international action to put an end to the American-Israeli law of the jungle and thwart displacement and genocide plans before it is too late. The people of Gaza, victims of genocide, are sending their final plea, fearing that their cries for help may be their last, and urgently calling on all parties to act immediately to protect them and safeguard their survival in the Gaza Strip.

Abd al-Ati called on the United Nations and third states to act immediately to halt the aggression and ensure the protection of civilians through the deployment of an international protection mission, as well as to impose urgent sanctions including an arms embargo and the suspension of all forms of support to the occupation. He also urged the free peoples of the world to escalate popular mobilization leading to a global civil disobedience movement that forces governments to fulfill their obligations to stop the genocide and forced displacement in Gaza.