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HRW accuses Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes that Israeli authorities are carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip, where it has caused “widespread, unjustified, and systematic” forced displacement of Palestinians. It condemns that this has forced “almost the entire population” of the Strip to relocate, in many cases, multiple times, and that these displacements, without “credible military justification”, “far exceed ensuring the safety of civilians.” , have caused serious “loss.”

This Thursday, HRW published a detailed 154-page report documenting these crimes, which it claims amount to “crimes against humanity.” “Forced displacement is widespread, systematic and deliberate and is part of state policy and a crime against humanity. We believe that these actions by the Israeli authorities amount to ethnic cleansing,” Nadia Hardman, refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW, told a news conference.

Hardeman emphasizes that displacement caused by military operations can only be justified if there are no other alternatives. “Israel cannot rely solely on the presence of members of Palestinian armed groups to justify the displacement of civilians. He said, “Israel must demonstrate that the displacement of civilians, in each case, is its only option.”

In the document titled Desperate, Hungry and Surrounded: Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, the organization highlights that 1.9 million residents of the enclave, 90% of the population, have been displaced.

HRW urged the United States, Germany and other countries to “immediately suspend arms transfers and military aid to Israel” and assured that those who continue to provide arms to this country risk being complicit in its crimes. Is. The report highlights that the international community must condemn Israel’s forced displacement of civilian populations as a war crime and crimes against humanity, and call for sanctions to end this situation and protect the lives of civilians. And pressure should be put on him through other measures.

More than 43,500 people have been killed and 86% of civilian infrastructure has been destroyed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to figures from the Gaza government, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas. Hardman has said that the widespread and often permanent damage in Gaza is “a deliberate attempt by Israeli authorities to create conditions that will make return not only difficult but impossible for many Palestinians.”

You can read a summary of the report here

You can download the full report here (English)