Destruction of Shelter Centers: Israel’s Strategy to Reshape Gaza Under the “Gideon’s Vehicles” Plan

Amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, serious concerns have emerged over a deliberate policy aimed at emptying large civilian areas by destroying displacement shelters and pursuing refugees even in their temporary shelters.

This strategy is closely tied to the so-called “Gideon’s Vehicles” operation launched by the Israeli Forces in mid-May 2025, which seeks to seize vast tracts of Gaza and impose new geographical and demographic realities.

Rapid Evacuation Orders Followed by Missiles

When an intelligence officer contacted displaced families at Yafa School in Gaza City, they were given just 30 minutes to evacuate before a missile strike. Thousands fled in panic, abandoning their belongings and spending hours outdoors searching for new shelter.

This harrowing scenario was repeated at 11 other schools in June. Such abrupt evacuation orders followed by immediate bombings point to a strategic policy of depopulation, forcing civilians into less than 20% of Gaza’s 364.8 km².

Surge in Attacks on Makeshift Shelters

In recent weeks, attacks on displacement shelters have intensified sharply. Thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been forced to erect makeshift tents on streets and even along beaches, without access to water, electricity, sanitation, or food. Emergency committees estimate that each school used as a displacement center housed over 4,000 people.

Ismail al-Thawabta, Director-General of Gaza’s official media office, told Al-Jazeera that since the start of the war, Israel has targeted over 256 shelter centers, displacing more than 700,000 refugees. He described this as a “double crime: the occupier destroyed their homes, then bombed the shelters meant to protect them, and branded it collective punishment and ongoing genocide.

Forced Displacement as a Tool for Territorial Control

Israel’s depopulation policy extends beyond shelters, encompassing residential towers and large apartment blocks. Approximately 282.8 km² of Gaza, 78% of its total area, has been issued evacuation orders, according to the Al-Jazeera-affiliated fact-checker SNN. Only small areas within Gaza City’s west, central Gaza, and western Khan Younis remain accessible, supporting the “Gideon’s Vehicles” concept of dividing Gaza into depopulated or closely controlled zones.

Israel’s Channel 14 quoted IDF sources stating that they currently control 60% of Gaza, with the aim to reach 80% in the coming weeks. UNRWA data, however, indicate that 82% of Gaza is under evacuation, leaving civilians with virtually nowhere safe to go and pregnant for an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Systematic Demographic Engineering

Rami Khreis, director of the Gaza Center for Political & Development Studies, argues this phase targets not only militant groups but entire populations, intending to reshape Gaza’s demographic map. He told Al-Jazeera that the repeated shelling of residential towers and shelters signals a deliberate plan to prevent population return under the guise of security operations.

Khreis warns that Israel’s unstated agenda goes beyond combating militants: it aims to fragment Gaza’s social fabric, leaving areas like Shuja’iyyah, Rafah, and northern Gaza as abandoned demilitarized zones.

The clustering of displaced civilians into pockets like Al‑Mawasi, Deir al‑Balah, and Al‑Nuseirat fits a long‑term “cantonization” blueprinta, n emerging geopolitical framework that restricts freedom of movement and local self-governance.

Attacks on Infrastructure and Civilian Life

Analysts note that the comprehensive destruction of roads, hospitals, electricity, and water systems signals a policy to make life in Gaza unsustainable, hampering any future redevelopment. With ongoing displacement and relentless bombing, most Gazans cannot secure stability, driving some to consider migration despite the blockade. According to international law under the Fourth Geneva Convention, such forced displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes.

Urgent Call for Global Intervention

To halt this engineered displacement and protect civilians, the international community must act:

• Launch an independent international investigation to document abuses and wrongful displacement.

• Call for an immediate halt to evacuation orders and destruction of civilian shelters.

• Establish secure humanitarian corridors, ensuring safe relocation without coercion.

• Protect shelters under UN or international agency oversight.

• Prevent demographic restructuring, including legally forbidding forced partitioning of Gaza.

A Geo-Demographic Conflict Masked as War

What unfolds in Gaza is no longer a conventional military conflict; it is a strategic rewriting of Gaza’s geography and demography by force. The systematic demolition of shelters and housing is a calculated measure to restructure control during and after conflict.

If unchecked, these actions will leave Gaza fragmented and permanently altered, undermining the prospects of post-conflict recovery and Palestinian self-determination. To preserve civilian rights, dignity, and a united Gaza, immediate legal, humanitarian, and strategic interventions are imperative.