DRC Report Finds Protracted Displacement and Deteriorating Conditions in Gaza One Year After Ceasefire

A new report on conditions in the Gaza Strip says that the roughly 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza, or 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 kilometers 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 10 residents are believed to be living.

These included but were not limited to:

80% of respondents reporting shortages of water both for washing and drinking

Displaced households relying on outdoor cesspits

Multiple families sharing single latrines, increasing the risk of gender-based violence and abuse

Rat and rodent infestations exacerbated by the unsanitary conditions

Food scarcity and lacking infrastructure for cooking, increasing risks of burns or injury preparing meals

Rapid localized spread of illnesses and infections. For instance, more than 4,000 chickenpox cases were recorded in Khan Younis displacement camps in July alone

Lacking and overburdened medical facilities with only half of hospitals and just over a third of primary healthcare centers still operational

Lacking or non-existent formal education provision for young people, now lasting almost three years in some cases

Reports of security concerns, particularly among men, because of the continued presence of artillery strikes, drones and stray gunfire

Safety risks posed by unexploded and undiscovered ordnance, particularly when trying to clear rubble or return to areas where people originally lived

The Danish Refugee Council also laid particular emphasis on lacking 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.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse