Israeli military's 'massive' forced displacement in Gaza amounts to war crimes: new report
Human Rights Watch says forced displacement widespread, systematic and part of state policy
Human Rights Watch says the "massive" and "deliberate" forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza carried out by Israeli forces equates to war crimes and crimes against humanity, in a new report published Thursday.
In the report, the international non-governmental organization said it had collected evidence that suggested "the war crime of forcible transfer." It described the Israeli force's actions as "a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a crime under the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)."
The report comes as Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza said Israeli forces had inflicted widespread destruction on their home districts in a more than month-long offensive — something Human Rights Watch (HRW) says is a "deliberate attempt" by Israel to create conditions that will make returning "not just difficult, but impossible" for many Palestinians.
"The Israeli government cannot claim to be keeping Palestinians safe when it kills them along escape routes, bombs so-called safe zones and cuts off food, water and sanitation," said Nadia Hardman, HRW refugee and migrant rights researcher.
"Israel has blatantly violated its obligation to ensure Palestinians can return home, razing virtually everything in large areas."
The report found that the conduct of Israeli authorities has led to the displacement of roughly 1.9 million Palestinians, more than 90 per cent of the population of Gaza, and the widespread destruction of much of Gaza over the last 13 months.
Forced displacement across the Gaza Strip has been "widespread, and the evidence shows it has been systematic and part of a state policy," the report said.
"Such acts also constitute crimes against humanity," it said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or foreign ministry, but Israeli authorities have previously rejected such accusations and say their forces operate in compliance with international law.
Some Palestinians likely to be 'permanently displaced'
The 154-page report is the latest in a series from aid groups and international bodies warning about the dire humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged enclave.
For the past month, Israeli troops have moved tens of thousands of people from areas in the north of the enclave as they have sought to destroy Hamas forces the military says have been reforming around the towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
"Israeli forces have carried out deliberate, controlled demolitions of homes and civilian infrastructure, including in areas where they have apparent aims of creating 'buffer zones' and security 'corridors,' from which Palestinians are likely to be permanently displaced," the report said.
Adam Coogle, HRW's deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division, said the forced displacement of Palestinians and mass destruction of some areas in Gaza amount to "ethnic cleansing."
Coogle said the organization is calling on governments to condemn the forced displacement and crimes against humanity, and to also adopt targeted sanctions and other measures and to halt weapons sales to Israel.
"We believe that the International Criminal Court prosecutor should investigate forced displacement in Gaza," he said.
Evacuation orders 'inconsistent' and 'inaccurate': report
In the report, HRW said evacuation orders have been "inconsistent, inaccurate and frequently not communicated to civilians with enough time to allow evacuations, or at all," adding that the orders did not take into consideration the needs of people with disabilities.
"There is no plausible imperative military reason to justify Israel's mass displacement of nearly all of Gaza's population, often multiple times," it said. "Rather than ensuring civilians' security, military 'evacuation orders' have caused grave harm."
The law of armed conflict forbids the forcible displacement of civilian populations from occupied territory, unless necessary for the security of civilians or imperative military reasons.
The report accused Israeli authorities of not evacuating civilians in Gaza for their security, saying they have not been secure during evacuations or on arrival at designated safe zones.
"Even where there is a military imperative that puts civilians at risk, what would otherwise be forcible transfer, will only be permitted as a lawful evacuation if Israel as the occupying power takes sufficient steps to safeguard civilians during their displacement and return them to their homes as soon as it is safe to do so," it added.
The report said Israel has as a result not met the requirements and "cannot plausibly claim" that the displacement in Gaza falls within the exemptions to allow lawful evacuation.
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip last year after the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed an estimated 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and abducted more than 250 as hostages. An estimated 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
The Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave's infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million population to move several times. The Palestinian civil emergency service estimates that the bodies of 10,000 people may be trapped under the rubble, which would take the reported death toll to more than 50,000.
Last week, the UN Human Rights Office said nearly 70 per cent of the fatalities it has verified for the first six months of the Gaza war were women and children.
Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 39 displaced Palestinians in Gaza, analyzed Israel's evacuation system, including 184 evacuation orders and satellite imagery confirming the widespread destruction, and verified videos and photographs of attacks on designated safe zones and evacuation routes.
The Israeli military has denied seeking to create permanent buffer zones, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that Palestinians displaced from their homes in northern Gaza would be allowed to return at the end of the war.
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With files from Reuters