Israeli forces are not only refusing to provide the population in al-Mawasi with the basic means of living but are also killing people in large numbers, displaced journalist Ahmed al-Najjar says.

He told Al Jazeera from what Israel has called a “humanitarian area” in Al-Mawasi that an Israeli Apache helicopter was outside his tent earlier, hovering and shooting.

“That’s the reality that has been unfolding in Al-Mawasi: where I, like hundreds of thousands of others, have been displaced and looking for anything relevant to the labelling of this so-called safe humanitarian zone,” he said.

Al-Najjar said he and his family have been displaced 14 times and have been living in al-Mawasi for 16 months.

The journalist said Palestinians in the area have only been experiencing more suffering and tragedy recently, as food remains scarce and more people are displaced from the north and head to Al-Mawasi.

“Our friends from the north keep calling us and asking for a few square metres of land so they can [put up] their tents,” he said, adding that his family barely found limited space for a tent themselves.