Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said in a new report that the Israeli military’s evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip, which are leading to the forcible displacement of the population, constitute a war crime.
“HRW has collected evidence that Israeli officials are committing the war crime of forcibly transferring civilians,” the NGO said in a report published today.
The report says that “Israeli actions appear to meet the definition of ethnic cleansing” in areas where the military has ordered Palestinians to leave and where they will not be able to return.
Israeli authorities are urging residents of entire areas of the territory to evacuate due to military operations, arguing that doing so is helping to protect civilians.
The United Nations estimated that 1.9 million people were displaced in the Gaza Strip in October. The territory had a population of about 2.4 million at the start of the war.
