Teenager describes forced separation from family as Israel evacuates 90% of North Gaza
“We sat in the yard from 8am to 5pm under the sun with no water or food.”
Sixteen-year-old Mohammed* was separated from his mother by Israeli forces as his family tried to flee northern Gaza.
Mohammed’s mother was taken to a “sandy pit” with other women and children and sat in the heat for hours before the group were released and told to move south. She took this video as she waited.
Mohammed and his mother are among tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been forced to flee northern Gaza in the past few weeks, as Israel’s military assault against Hamas has intensified.
Using geolocated videos, an interview with a teenage boy held in a school by Israeli forces and evacuation orders issued by the military, Sky News has investigated the conditions that some civilians have faced while leaving.
Our analysis of the evacuation orders reveals that over the course of five days in mid-October, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of 90% of the North Gaza governorate – an area half the size of Manchester. The UN says within two weeks in October alone, 60,000 people were displaced from North Gaza.
It comes as experts told Sky News Israel has a responsibility as the occupying power to look after civilians, “especially those civilians it may move for military reasons”.
In response to our report, the IDF said it makes “every effort to prevent harm to uninvolved civilians” and takes “additional measures” alongside evacuation maps to move civilians to safer areas.
It said: “Extensive efforts are being made to identify each individual examined and to detain only those who are terror operatives or suspected of being involved in terrorist activities”. It added that those who are not involved are released “as soon as possible” and IDF protocols are to “treat detainees with dignity”.
Videos show mass evacuations
Northern Gaza has become the focus of Israel’s military efforts in the strip. It says it aims to destroy Hamas who they say are regrouping in the north.
Sky News geolocated 17 videos and images taken by civilians, soldiers and shared by the IDF showing mass evacuations and detentions in northern Gaza posted online in the past three weeks.
Videos showing mass evacuations and detentions posted online between 19 October and 25 October were geolocated by Sky News
The footage below shows hundreds of civilians fleeing on foot. Taken from an Israeli armoured vehicle, women and children are seeing carrying their belongings. It offers a glimpse into the scale of the evacuations taking place in the north.
We mapped the locations of these videos to an area just north of the Indonesian Hospital. The IDF has also published multiple videos online in the past two weeks showing its efforts to help civilians leave.
But other footage, geolocated to a similar area, captures a different part of the IDFs operation.
One video, posted online on 23 October, shows at least 23 Palestinian men barefoot, blindfolded, dressed in white suits and led away by Israeli soldiers.
The IDF had said in the days previously, that its forces had been operating against “terrorists” in the area. But the exact circumstances of this video are unclear.
Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke says that while it’s not “unreasonable” to separate people for interrogation in a counter-terrorist operation, there are conditions.
He said: “They have to be interrogated properly. They can’t be held indefinitely. They have to have some form of representation and evidence has to be produced. Simply taking all the men away and locking them up is strictly against the laws of war and the Geneva Convention.”
In response, the IDF said recently its forces have been operating in Jabalia in northern Gaza against “terrorist infrastructure” and Hamas militants and has detained and questioned “individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities”.
It added that “relevant suspects are transferred for continued detention and investigation in Israel” and those who are not involved are released, adding that individuals detained are treated “in accordance with international law”.
Teenager separated from family
Mohammed is among Palestinians who have been separated from their family during evacuation. With his parents, the family started their journey out of northern Gaza on 22 October after an Israeli evacuation order for Beit Lahia was issued that morning.
Mohammed said they walked from a house they were staying at near the Kamal Adwan Hospital and headed towards the Indonesian Hospital. His mother said casualties were “flooding” in and out of the hospital and described it as “the most terrifying scene ever”.
Map shows the locations of Mohammed and his family on 22 October
Mohammed said: “The soldiers were laughing at us and hurling insults as we walked among them… When we arrived at the Indonesian hospital, the solders separated the men from the women and put them in a school and made the women continue walking along Salah al Din Road.
“I’m 16 years old, I’m still young. I continued walking with my mother, but the soldier ordered me in Arabic to go to the school.
“My mother told me, ‘don’t answer him and keep walking with me. I can’t leave you alone’. My father went, but I was still walking with my mother. But then the soldier raised his weapon at me and said to me, ‘I told you to go the school’.”
Mohammed and his father were taken to the al Kuwait School next to the hospital where they were ordered to sit outside for nine hours. His mother, separated from her son, was told to continue walking towards the Salah al Din Road.
He said: “The army was summoning 10 people then 10 more for examination for security… they put them in white uniforms blindfolded and walked barefoot the soldiers beat them if they fell.”
With a group of women and children, Mohammed’s mother was taken to a sandy area just off the Salah al Din Road where they sat in the sun for hours before eventually being released and walking to Gaza City. Three of the videos we geolocated were taken by Mohammed’s mother, 800m south of the Indonesian Hospital.
She told Sky News: “I filmed everything. I don’t know why I did it, I just wanted to show my son and husband what we were experiencing when I was reunited with them.”
Mohammed and his father were released separately that evening. He says he walked for five hours with no clothes to get to Gaza City, where he found his parents. They are unsure when or if they will be able to return safely to the north.
In response, the IDF said it addresses and examines events that deviated from IDF values through “command and disciplinary measures”. It said requested details necessary to examine the claim “were not provided” and therefore are unable to further review them.
Journey to Mawasi over 16km
The Israeli military has urged civilians to go to al Mawasi – a strip of land on the coast in southern Gaza which it deems a “humanitarian zone”. The United Nations humanitarian agency has said Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is increasingly concentrated in al Mawasi.
The military has frequently posted evacuation maps online – telling civilians which zones to leave and where they should go.
These maps are not the only form of evacuation notices issued by the IDF, who also use other methods like leaflets. But the Israeli military says they are created to minimise civilian casualties and Gazans are often told to refer to them.
Since the start of October, our analysis found the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson has posted three evacuation maps for northern Gaza – on 7, 8 and 12 October.
Two of the maps, posted on 7 and 8 October, show the same area, covering the majority of North Gaza governorate. The third map, posted on 12 October, covers the neighbourhood of Jabalia. Sky News compared these maps with UN maps of Gaza’s official administrative boundaries.
It is possible that the IDF has issued more evacuation orders in the period we analysed using maps and other methods which were not posted online. Our analysis is based on the information they have posted on their social media accounts.
Three evacuation order maps posted by IDF between 1-29 October online and UN maps of Gaza’s official administrative boundaries
Our analysis found that the areas evacuated between 7 and 12 October encompass 90% of the North Gaza governorate. The UN told Sky News that an estimated 90,000 people remain in the region.
Of the three maps we found, only one of them details the time period in which civilians were safe to travel on the given route. The other two do not provide a length of the evacuation order or an expiry date.
In response, the IDF said since the start of the war over two million evacuation notifications have been distributed, more than 12 million flyers have been dropped, over 100,000 phone calls made and over 800,000 voice messages sent for evacuations.
Evacuation orders issued by the IDF between 1 October and 29 October Credit: IDF
Measuring the distance between our geolocated videos of the evacuations and the Mawasi zone, we found civilians would have to walk at least 16km to get there.
We also found that the three hospitals that have recently been operational in northern Gaza – Kamal Adwan Hospital, Indonesian Hospital and al Awda Hospital, were included on two of the three evacuation maps we found.
The IDF expanded the area of the al Mawasi zone in October but has been criticised for its lack of support for civilians who have moved there.
Professor Clarke said: “If the Israelis are moving these people out, that can be permissible if they can provide evidence that they are providing for these people at the other end of their journey.
“Now, so far in the evacuations that we’ve seen in the last 12 months in Gaza, that has not been the case. The best the Israelis have managed is to allow the UN and relief organisations to do something. But the fact is it’s their responsibility, not the UN responsibility. It’s their responsibility as the occupying power to look after civilians, particularly civilians it may move for military reasons.”
The IDF said as part of its efforts in the humanitarian zone of al Mawasi, “proactive calls” were made for civilians to evacuate “to an area into which humanitarian aid was transported, including food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment, which included the provision of 40,000 tents purchased by the State of Israel”.
It added that due to recent operations in the Jabalia area, “prior notifications indicated the need for evacuation… which also includes several hospitals”. It said officials from the Palestinian healthcare system and international community requested IDF assistance in safely evacuating the hospitals in the area.
The military said “no specific time frame was set for the evacuation of the hospitals, and evacuations have been ongoing”.
There have also been significant changes to infrastructure in northern Gaza. Satellite imagery taken 10 days apart shows the disappearance of two large displacement camps and tents set up in schools.
Over 50 tents in a civilian displacement camp less than 500m north of the Indonesian Hospital is visible in imagery taken on 14 October but is not visible in an image taken on 24 October.
Another camp with over 100 tents less than 2km south is also not visible in the latest imagery of the area.
It’s unclear whether the camp was cleared by the military or civilians. The IDF facilitated evacuations in the area near the Indonesian Hospital within the 10-day period when the images were taken.
It’s not yet clear how long the Israeli offensive in the north will continue for. Aid organisations and members of the international community like the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), have raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, citing limited humanitarian aid getting through.
*Mohammed’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
Additional reporting by Celine Alkhaldi, Middle East producer, Michelle Inez Simon, visual investigations producer, Sam Doak, OSINT producer and Adam Parker, OSINT editor.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
The rock has been hurled into the lake and now the ripples are spreading.
The UK and several other Western countries recognising a Palestinian state was never likely to be an action without consequences.
So what happens next? Well, firstly, a surge of angry rhetoric from across the Israeli political spectrum, almost all of whom described this as a victory for Hamas.
Gaza latest: Countries boycott French two-state solution summit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an absurd prize for terrorism” while Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, described recognition as “a bad move and a reward for terror”.
Former defence minister Benny Gantz said it “emboldens Hamas and extends the war”, and Naftali Bennett, the man who may well usurp Netanyahu as prime minister next year, said recognition could lead to a “full-blown terror state”.
The forum that represents the families of hostages called it “a catastrophic failure”.
‘Annexation’ is incredibly complicated
So that’s unity in condemnation. But words are one thing; actions are another. And the more extreme ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet, who carry great weight, are coalescing around a single rallying cry – the demand is annexation of the West Bank.
It sounds blunt, but it is incredibly complicated. For one thing, simply defining what is meant by “annexation” is near-on impossible.
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UK formally recognises Palestine
The West Bank, which a growing number of Israelis refer to by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria, has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967.
In a sense, it is already partly annexed – the West Bank is dotted with settlements and outposts that are home to hundreds of thousands of Israelis. So annexation could mean supporting and expanding those developments.
Read more:
What recognising a Palestinian state actually means
Why UK’s Palestine move matters in the Middle East
Or annexation could mean sending in more soldiers, more equipment and taking more land, potentially in the Jordan valley.
It could mean pumping resources into the controversial and internationally criticised E1 settlement programme, which would divide the West Bank in half.
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But it could even mean the very thing that you probably think of when you hear the word “annexation”. It could mean Israel flooding the area with soldiers and claiming the land for itself – an invasion, in other words.
It might sound appealing to the likes of Israeli far-right politicians Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. At the same time, it would infuriate Arab nations, who are already seething that Israel chose to launch an airstrike on a building in Qatar to try, seemingly unsuccessfully, to kill Hamas leaders.
A loyalty test for the US
Full annexation would test the loyalty of the United States, which has, so far, supported Netanyahu through thick and thin. The attack on Doha has already prompted a mild rebuke; Israel’s government will not want to risk losing the backing of its most important diplomatic ally.
President Trump is due to meet Arab leaders on Tuesday, who will tell him of their fears for the future of the West Bank.
This will not be easy for Netanyahu. He has to balance the need to retain Trump’s friendship and support with a desire to dissuade other nations from recognising the State of Palestine, along with the need to keep Arab neighbours from turning against him while keeping Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in his cabinet.
So Netanyahu is going to bide his time. He will not make a decision on next steps until he has returned from visiting both the United Nations and the White House.
The immediate future of the West Bank might well be decided on a flight back from America.
A British-Egyptian activist who has spent years in prison has been pardoned by Egypt’s president, according to his lawyer.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah became a prominent campaigner during protests in Cairo in 2011 that led to the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.
In 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison – later reduced to five – for protesting without permission.
He was released in 2019 but arrested again for sharing a Facebook post about human rights abuses in Egyptian prisons.
It led to another five-year term in 2021 for “spreading fake news”.
High-profile local and international campaigns have called for his release and Egypt removed him from its “terrorism” list last year.
Mr Fattah has British citizenship through his UK-born mother, Laila Soueif, who went on hunger strike over his case and met Sir Keir Starmer to push for her son’s freedom.
The 43-year-old also undertook multiple hunger strikes of his own to highlight his case.
Today his lawyer, Khaled Ali, writing in Arabic on Facebook, posted: “God is the judge. The President of the Republic has issued a decree pardoning Alaa Abdel Fattah. Congratulations.”
Mr el-Fattah’s mother (middle) at a protest calling for her son’s release in 2023. Pic: PA
His sister said on X that she and her mother were “heading to the prison now to inquire from where Alaa will be released and when”.
“Omg I can’t believe we get our lives back!” she added.
The Egyptian president’s office said another five prisoners were also pardoned – but it’s unclear exactly when they will all be freed.
Mr Ali said he expected his client to be released from Wadi Natron prison, north of Cairo, in the next few days.
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has spent nearly all of the last decade in prison. Pic: Reuters
Mr Fattah became known for his blogging and social media activity during the Arab Spring protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square 14 years ago.
But a wide-ranging crackdown on Islamists, liberals and leftists by the new president, former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, led to the activist being imprisoned for the first time.
During his second spell in jail, his family said he was locked up without sunlight, exercise and books – and abused by the guards.
Mr Fattah’s mother – a former maths professor – and lawyer father, who died in 2014, were also both activists.
Khaled Ali tried to get Mr Fattah freed in 2024, arguing his client’s two years of pre-trial detention should be counted, but prosecutors resisted and said he wouldn’t be allowed out until January 2027.
The refusal prompted his mother to begin another long hunger strike in September last year.
She only ended it two months ago following pleas from her family after she lost 35kg and became seriously ill.
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The activist’s mother lost 35kg during her most recent hunger strike. Pic: Reuters
Human rights groups say tens of thousands of prisoners of conscience have been incarcerated under the current president.
They allege they are denied due process and suffer abuse and torture – claims denied by Egyptian officials.
Chair of the foreign affairs select committee, the MP Emily Thornberry, said on X that she was “absolutely delighted” about Mr Fattah’s pardon.
She posted: “Laila, Mona, Sanaa and Alaa’s entire family’s tireless campaign for his release has been incredibly moving – their love for him was clear when I met Sanaa last year,
“I am so glad they will get to see him come home.”
The UK is planning to recognise Palestine as a state in a major shift in policy.
The announcement – expected today – comes ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York next week.
While Sir Keir Starmer signalled the move in July, it was not made official before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, reportedly due to fears it could have dominated the meeting with the US president.
Here is what you need to know about the significance of recognising a Palestinian state.
What is the current status of Palestinian statehood?
The Palestinian Authority (PA), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, is internationally recognised as representing the Palestinian people.
The governing body exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank under agreements with Israel. It issues Palestinian passports and runs the Palestinian health and education systems.
However, some trade, investment, educational and cultural exchanges are restricted by Israel and there are currently no Palestinian airports.
The landlocked West Bank can only be reached through Israel or through the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan. Israel also controls all access to the Gaza Strip.
Much of what would form a potential Palestinian state has been under Israeli military occupation for more than half a century.
A map showing Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories
Under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, there are several criteria before Palestine can be recognised as a sovereign state under international law.
The process requires the state to have:
• A permanent population;
• A defined territory;
• An effective government and international relations;
• Formal diplomatic processes including embassies, ambassadors and treaties.
The UK did not sign the 1933 convention, but in July some of Britain’s top lawyers wrote a letter to the government’s top legal adviser warning that recognising a Palestinian state could breach the convention, which they said has become part of “customary law”.
But others, including Philippe Sands KC, a professor of law at University College London, argued against this. He told The Guardian that the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has recognised that Palestinians have a right to “self-determination” – meaning a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government.
Is the move just symbolic?
The likes of China, India, Russia and many Arab states have recognised Palestinian independence for decades, but largely see it as a symbolic gesture, which has little influence on what happens on the ground.
However, in the UK’s case, recognising a Palestinian state could put the two on “equal footing” according to the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot.
This could result in strategic partnerships or lead to steps such as banning products that come from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, Vincent Fean, a former British consul general to Jerusalem, told Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first leader of a G7 country to endorse recognition, said the recognition would also come with a commitment that the PA would enact reforms, which, he says, would put it in a better position to govern a post-war Gaza.
Naima Abu Ful holds her malnourished 2-year-old child, Yazan in Gaza. Pic: AP
Why is the UK acting now?
Sir Keir Starmer said in July that the time to recognise Palestine is now, as it would have the highest impact given the hope of a two-state solution – a “secure” Israel alongside a “viable” Palestinian state – was at risk.
He said it was part of an “eight-part plan” agreed with France and Germany, but denied it represented a U-turn after pressure from Labour MPs, saying instead it was always part of the plan to recognise Palestine.
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From July: Starmer reveals plan to recognise Palestine as state
Pressure has also been mounting on Sir Keir after Israel began a major ground offensive to take Gaza City on 16 September.
Despite widespread condemnation, Israeli tanks and troops have continued to push deeper into the city in a bid to destroy Hamas and force the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling”.
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Tanks roll into Gaza as ‘appalling’ Israeli offensive begins
The UK’s official declaration comes days before the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic of discussion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to talk at the assembly, but Mr Abbas has not been granted a US visa. It is likely he will instead appear via video.
What countries do (and do not) recognise Palestine?
As of September 2025, 147 out of 193 United Nations member states recognise Palestine. This includes more than a dozen in Europe, including Spain, Ireland and Norway.
Click, zoom in or search for a country to see their stance on recognising a Palestinian state:
Recognition from countries vs the United Nations
Without a full seat at the UN, the PA only has limited ability to conduct bilateral relations. This means a delegation officially representing the State of Palestine has permanent observer status but no voting rights.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, at last year’s UN General Assembly. Pic AP
No matter how many individual countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership requires the approval of the Security Council.
Approval requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent ‘big five’ member states: UK, US, France, Russia and China.
If the Council approves the request, it goes to the General Assembly for approval, where a two-thirds majority is needed.
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters
A state can’t join the UN without the backing of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.
In 2011, the Security Council looked at an application for Palestine to become a permanent member for several weeks but it was unable to reach a unanimous position, so a formal vote never took place.
Most recently, on 18 September, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, saying the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.
How have Palestinians and the Israelis responded?
When the UK, France and Canada announced in July they were planning to recognise Palestine as a state, the PA’s leader Mr Abbas expressed “thanks and appreciation” to all three countries.
Mr Netanyahu condemned the move, saying recognising a Palestinian state would be a “launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it”.
He says Israel will never give up ultimate security control of Gaza or the West Bank, and the decision to recognise Palestine as a state “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages”.
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Is Israel committing genocide?
What about America?
The US, Israel’s closest ally, also remains opposed to official recognition of a Palestinian state.
During a press conference with Sir Keir in the UK on 18 September, Mr Trump told reporters he has a “disagreement” with his British counterpart over it.
In reaction to European allies recognising Palestinian independence, the US has imposed sanctions on Palestinian officials.
Starmer and Trump at a joint press conference. Pic: AP
Within the US Senate, however, a group of Democratic senators have introduced a resolution to try and urge recognition of a Palestinian state – showing some divide in America’s two main political parties.
However, the resolution is unlikely to pass the chamber, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority.
How does this all link to a two-state solution?
Simply put, a two-state solution is widely regarded as the most viable framework for enabling Palestinian independence.
It would see an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing state of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory.
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The two-state solution explained
Earlier in September, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly – 142 votes in favour – to endorse a declaration outlining the “tangible, time bound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution.
The declaration condemns the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the retaliatory action by Israel against civilians and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel and the US were among 10 member states that voted against the resolution.
The Palestinians seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem and Gaza, territories that have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
Mr Netanyahu and most of Israel’s political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood, and argue that it would reward militants after October 7.
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One of the biggest obstacles to a two-state solution would be deciding what the borders of a potential Palestinian state would be.
Many believe they should be the same ones that existed before 1967, but since then, increasing numbers of Israeli settlements have been established inside the West Bank, with around 600,000 Israelis now living there and in occupied East Jerusalem.
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