“My sister’s house… was confiscated for the benefit of this port,” said Ahmed Baliha, a 34-year-old lawyer who has been displaced from his home in al-Zahra, the neighbourhood where the landing area is being constructed on the coast just south of Gaza City.

“Yesterday, we were surprised to learn through pictures published by the Israeli army that it was razed – the area was completely wiped out, and it was confiscated for the benefit of the port, and no one informed us of that in advance,” continued Baliha, who has been displaced to Rafah in southern Gaza.

“What is shocking is that they did not lose [their home] because of the missiles, but rather it was blown up specifically for the purpose of establishing the port,” he added.

Referring to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing has warned that the widespread destruction of civilian housing and infrastructure is an international crime.

Some 1.7 million people in Gaza – around 74% of the population – have been displaced from their homes by Israel’s nearly seven-month-long military campaign. At least 62% of homes in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed as of the end of January.

Demolishing even more homes as part of a US-led project to bring aid to the enclave by sea – which many in the humanitarian community already view with scepticism – raises a host of ethical and legal questions.

“The assumption is that Gaza is free to demolish,” Ali al-Za’tari, a former UN humanitarian coordinator with extensive experience in Syria, Libya, and Sudan told The New Humanitarian.

“There’s no consideration for the ownership of property, or lives for that matter,” al-Za’tari said. “The assumption there is that this is a land without people.”

Homes, farms, and groves of trees

Using satellite photos and UN satellite monitoring data, The New Humanitarian was able to verify that buildings have been razed around the landing area Israeli authorities are setting up to receive aid from the US-led maritime route, which is expected to begin operating at the beginning of May.

About half a square kilometre has been cleared around the landing area itself, and satellite photos show extensive demolition of buildings in an area nearby of about eight additional square kilometres in size…

Source: The New Humanitarian | Israeli military demolished homes to make way for US Gaza aid pier