- Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have caused the massive and deliberate forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, making them responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- There is no compelling military reason that could plausibly justify Israel’s mass displacement of almost the entire population of Gaza, often on multiple occasions. Rather than guaranteeing the safety of civilians, the “ evacuation orders » soldiers caused enormous damage.
- Other governments should impose targeted sanctions and other measures, and end arms sales to Israel. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should investigate forced displacement caused by Israel and the violation of the right of return of displaced persons as a crime against humanity.
(Jerusalem) – Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have caused the mass and deliberate forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, making them responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report made public today. This report comes at a time when an Israeli military campaign in northern Gaza has most likely created a new wave of forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The 154-page report, titled “‘Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged’: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,” examines the manner in which Israeli authorities displaced more than 90% of Gaza’s population – 1.9 million Palestinians – and caused widespread destruction of a large part of this territory during the last 13 months. Israeli forces have carried out deliberate demolitions of homes and civilian infrastructure, including in areas they apparently wish to convert into ” buffer zones » and “ safe corridors “, and from where Palestinians are likely to be permanently displaced. Contrary to the claims of Israeli officials, their actions do not comply with the laws of war.
« The Israeli government cannot claim to keep Palestinians safe while it kills them along evacuation routes, bombs so-called safe zones, and cuts off access to food, water, and sanitation. said Nadia Hardman, researcher in the refugee and migrant rights division at Human Rights Watch. “ Israel has blatantly violated its obligation to ensure the return of Palestinians to their homes by razing large areas to virtually nothing. »
Human Rights Watch conducted interviews with 39 Palestinians displaced in Gaza, and analyzed Israel’s evacuation system, including reviewing 184 evacuation orders. Human Rights Watch also reviewed satellite images that confirm widespread destruction, and verified videos and photographs of attacks on designated safe zones and escape routes.
Play Video
The laws of armed conflict applicable in the occupied territories only authorize the displacement of civilians on an exceptional basis, in the event of ” compelling military reasons » or for the security of the population, and demand guarantees and “ suitable facilities » to accommodate displaced people. Israeli officials say that because Palestinian armed groups fight by deploying among the civilian population, the army has legally evacuated residents to attack armed group fighters, while limiting harm to civilians. Human Rights Watch research, however, shows that this claim is largely false.
There is no ” compelling military reasons » which could plausibly justify Israel’s mass displacement of almost the entire population of Gaza, often on multiple occasions, according to Human Rights Watch. The evacuation system put in place by the Israeli authorities seriously harmed the population, and often served only to spread fear and anxiety. Rather than ensuring the safety of displaced civilians, Israeli forces repeatedly targeted designated evacuation routes and areas designated as ” safe ».
Evacuation orders were inconsistent, inaccurate, and often communicated to civilians too late to allow their evacuation; in some cases, civilians did not even receive such evacuation orders. Furthermore, these orders failed to take into account the needs of people with disabilities and others who cannot leave their homes without assistance.
As the occupying power, Israel ensures adequate facilities to accommodate displaced civilians in Gaza, but authorities have largely blocked the delivery of required humanitarian aid, water, electricity and fuel, allowing only very limited delivery of these essential goods. Israeli attacks have damaged and destroyed many vital resources in Gaza, including hospitals, schools, water and energy infrastructure, bakeries and agricultural land.
Israel must also ensure the return of displaced people to their homes as soon as hostilities in the region cease. But instead, Israel’s actions have made large areas of Gaza uninhabitable. The Israeli army has intentionally demolished or seriously damaged civilian infrastructure there, including through controlled demolitions of buildings, with the apparent aim of creating a ” zone tampon » extended along the perimeter of Gaza with Israel and a corridor that will divide the territory. The destruction is of such magnitude that it indicates an intention to permanently displace many people.
Israel should respect the right of Palestinian civilians to return to the areas of Gaza from which they were displaced. Furthermore, for nearly 80 years, the Israeli authorities have denied nearly 80% of Gaza residents the right to return to their regions of origin; These are Palestinian refugees, or descendants of refugees who in 1948 were expelled or fled their homes in what is now Israel, during the events that Palestinians call “the Nakba » (« catastrophe “). This violation of their rights continues to weigh on the experience of Palestinians in Gaza; several people interviewed by Human Rights Watch described the current events as a second ” Nakba ».
From the first days of hostilities, senior officials in the Israeli government and war cabinet announced plans to displace Gaza’s Palestinian population, with ministers declaring that its territory would shrink and that blowing it up and flattening it was ” Magnificent ”, and that land would be transferred to the settlers. “ We have now launched the Gaza Nakba “, Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter said in November 2023.
Human Rights Watch found that forced displacement is widespread, and evidence shows it is systematic and part of state policy. Such acts constitute crimes against humanity.
Organized by Israeli authorities, the violent displacements of Palestinians from Gaza, who are members of another ethnic group, are likely planned to be permanent in buffer zones and security corridors. Such actions by Israeli authorities constitute a form of ethnic cleansing.
Victims of serious abuses in Israel and Palestine have faced a wall of impunity for decades. Palestinians in Gaza have lived under an illegal blockade for 17 years, part of the ongoing crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution that Israeli authorities commit against Palestinians.
Foreign governments should publicly condemn Israel’s forced displacement of Gaza’s civilian population as a war crime and a crime against humanity. They were to put pressure on Israel to immediately put an end to these crimes and comply with the numerous binding orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the obligations set out in its July advisory opinion.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should investigate Israel’s forced displacement and obstruction of the right of return as a crime against humanity. Foreign governments should also publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or obstruct the work of the Court, its officials and those who cooperate with it.
Foreign governments should impose targeted sanctions and take other measures, including revising bilateral agreements with Israel, to push that country to respect its international obligations to protect civilians.
The United States, Germany and other countries should immediately suspend arms transfers and military aid to Israel. By continuing to supply weapons to Israel, they risk being complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations.
« No one can deny the atrocities the Israeli army is committing against Palestinians in Gaza », a conclu Nadia Hardman. « The sale of additional arms and continued aid to Israel by the United States, Germany and other countries is a blank check for further atrocities, and increasingly exposes these countries to accusations of complicity in abuse. »
