A senior official from the Israeli Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that Israel expects its offensive to take control of Gaza City to cause the displacement of one million Palestinians, mentioning plans to establish a new “humanitarian zone” for them.

The war that began on October 7, 2023, has forced the vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s population of over two million to flee multiple times.

In August, the Israeli government approved a plan to take control of Gaza, the largest city in the besieged and devastated Palestinian territory. This week, Israel began mobilizing its forces after calling up tens of thousands of reservists.

About one million people live in the city located in northern Gaza Strip.

A senior official from the Israeli Government’s Coordination Unit for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said, “In recent days, there has been a movement of displacement from north to south.”

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, added, “So far, about 70,000 Gazans have left northern Gaza,” explaining that Israeli authorities expect “the displacement of one million people” towards the south, without specifying a timeframe.

Late last month, the Israeli army confirmed that the displacement of Gaza City residents is “inevitable,” declaring the city a “dangerous combat zone.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross considered the evacuation of the city’s residents “impossible” and the plans “unfeasible.”

The official indicated that Israel “seeks to designate a humanitarian zone,” which will be officially announced in the coming days.

This zone is expected to extend from a group of refugee camps in central Gaza to the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in the south, and also eastward, according to the official.

At the start of the war, Israel had classified Al-Mawasi as a “humanitarian zone,” but the displaced persons’ tents there were not spared from repeated Israeli army shelling.

Last month, Thameen Al-Khitan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Commissioner, said Palestinians in Al-Mawasi “have little or no access to basic services and supplies, including food, water, electricity, and tents.”

Earlier last week, COGAT announced preparations “to move the population southward for their protection,” including establishing a new water pipeline from Egypt to Al-Mawasi, maintenance of water pipes from Israel, and connecting a desalination plant in southern Gaza to the electricity grid.