HRW accuses Israel of forced displacement in Gaza

Israel is using evacuation orders to pursue the “deliberate and massive forced displacement” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. The watchdog highlights that the policy amounts to crimes against humanity.

The U.S.-based group stated that it collected evidence that suggested “the war crime of forcible transfer [of the civilian population]”, describing it as “a grave breach of the Geneva conventions and a crime under the Rome statute of the international criminal court”.

The 154-page report, '"Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged": Israel's Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,' takes aim at one of Israel’s use of evacuation orders, which have driven mass displacement inside Gaza. “Israel claims that the displacement of nearly all of Gaza’s population has been justified for the security of the population and for imperative military reasons, and it has taken the requisite steps to safeguard civilians,” read the report.

“Because Palestinian armed groups are fighting from among the civilian population, Israeli officials claim, the military has evacuated civilians to enable it to target fighters and destroy the groups’ infrastructure, such as tunnels while limiting harm to civilians, such that the mass displacements were lawful," said HRW, adding that Israel does not evacuate civilians for the sake of their safety as "they have not been secure during evacuations or on arrival at designated safe zones."

The report comes amid mounting evidence that Israel is accelerating its efforts to cut the Gaza Strip in two with a buffer zone and is building new infrastructure to support a prolonged military presence, with an increased pace of demolitions and destruction. Additionally, earlier this week, the main United Nations (UN) aid agency in Gaza claimed Israel has failed to meet a U.S.-set deadline to boost aid to the territory.