4 hours ago
Human Rights Watch, a human rights group, confirmed in a report published on Thursday that Israel’s evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip amount to a “war crime” represented by “forced displacement” in some areas and areas another to “ethnic cleansing.”
The 154-page report, titled “‘Desperate, Urgent, and Besieged’: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,” examines the behavior of Israeli authorities that led to the displacement of more than 90% of Gaza’s population – 1.9 million Palestinians – and to the widespread destruction of large parts of Gaza over the past 13 months.
“Human Rights Watch has gathered evidence that Israeli officials are committing war crimes over forced displacement,” the report says.
The report said, “Israel’s actions appear to meet the definition of ethnic cleansing” in areas where Palestinians cannot return.
According to the group’s researcher Nadia Hardman, the findings of the report are based on interviews with 39 displaced Palestinians in Gaza and analyzed the Israeli evacuation system, including 184 evacuation orders. and satellite images confirming widespread destruction, and authentic videos and images of attacks on designated areas as safe and evacuation methods.
At a time when Israel says the move is aimed at protecting civilians or for urgent military reasons, Hardman said “Israel cannot simply rely on the presence of armed groups to justify the movement of civilians.”
She said, “Israel must prove in every case that civilian displacement is the only option” to fully comply with international humanitarian law.
The group said, contrary to the claims of Israeli officials, that their actions did not comply with the laws of war, and explained that Israeli forces carried out a deliberate and organized demolition of homes and civilian infrastructure, into areas where they were supposed to be expected. create “buffer zones” and “security corridors”.
Ahmed Ben Shamsi, spokesman for the Middle East division at Human Rights Watch, said: “This step is turning large parts of Gaza into informal settlements, and in some issues permanently, which means ethnic cleansing. “
The report mentioned the Philadelphia axis, which runs along the border with Egypt, the Netzarim axis, which cuts Gaza between east and west, and the areas in them that have been “destroyed, expanded and occupied away” by the Israeli army to create a buffer. security zones and corridors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israeli forces must control the Philadelphia axis to ensure that “no arms are smuggled” out of Gaza.
Hardman said Israeli forces turned the Netzarim axis between Gaza City and its valley into a four kilometer wide buffer zone, mostly without buildings.
The report did not mention the developments in the war since August, in particular the intensive Israeli military operation in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, which began in early October 2023.
Louise Waterridge, spokeswoman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), told AFP that the military operation in the northern Gaza Strip has forced at least 100,000 people to flee the north to Gaza City and surrounding areas.
The Human Rights Watch report stated that “the actions of the Israeli authorities in Gaza are the actions of one ethnic or religious group to remove Palestinians or another ethnic or religious group from areas within Gaza by violent means.”
The report highlighted the organized nature of the movement and the intention of the Israeli forces to ensure that “the affected areas remain permanently… Gaza has been emptied of its population and cleared of Palestinians.”
According to the United Nations, 1.9 million people out of a population of 2.4 million have been displaced since October 2024.
The governments of the world should adopt targeted sanctions
Human Rights Watch said governments around the world should adopt targeted sanctions and other measures, including a review of their bilateral agreements with Israel, to put pressure on government Israel to comply with its international obligations to protect civilians.
The United States, Germany, and other countries should immediately stop military transfers and military aid to Israel. Continuing to supply Israel with weapons exposes itself to the risk of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of human rights.
“No one can deny the horrific crimes committed by the Israeli army against Palestinians in Gaza,” Hardman said.
The governments of the world must publicly condemn Israel’s forced displacement of civilians in Gaza as a war crime and a crime against humanity, and must pressure Israel to stop these crimes immediately and comply with mandates and multiple binding obligations of the International Court of Justice described in the advisory opinion issued in July / July.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must investigate the Israeli displacement of Palestinians and prevent them from exercising their right of return, as it is a crime against humanity. Governments should also condemn public attempts to intimidate court officials and colleagues and obstruct their work.
#Gaza #War #Human #Rights #Watch #Israels #Evacuation #Orders #Strip #War #Crime
2024-11-14 07:11:00
