Human Rights Watch has raised alarm bells in its latest report, asserting that Israel’s ongoing evacuation orders in Gaza constitute what can be classified as the “war crime of forcible transfer.” The organization boldly characterizes some of these actions as “ethnic cleansing” within various parts of the Palestinian territories. This stark depiction is not merely a casual observation; it’s grounded in extensive research and firsthand accounts.
In the words of the report, “Human Rights Watch has gathered compelling evidence indication that Israeli officials are purporting actions that amount to the crime of forcible transfer.” The deep implications of this claim are painted further with the assertion that, according to HRW, “Israel’s actions appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing” in specific regions, thereby preventing many Palestinians from returning home.
Nadia Hardman, one of the HRW researchers involved, emphasized that this comprehensive 172-page document is built on a foundation of insightful interviews with displaced Gazans, coupled with satellite imagery and public records collected up until August 2024. This meticulous approach lends a layer of credibility to their findings, making the report all the more compelling.
The United Nations estimates that by October 2024, an astonishing 1.9 million Palestinians had fled their homes in Gaza. “For Israel to adhere fully to international humanitarian law,” Hardman noted, “it must demonstrate that displacing civilians is absolutely necessary in every singular case.” This raises serious questions about the rationale behind such large-scale evacuations.
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities on October 7, 2023, Gaza had a population of approximately 2.4 million residents. Now, critically, a significant number of those individuals have found themselves uprooted and displaced. Ahmed Benchemsi, the spokesperson for HRW in the Middle East, succinctly voiced the gravity of the situation, proclaiming, “Consistently rendering vast segments of Gaza uninhabitable, sometimes for good, undeniably constitutes ethnic cleansing.”
The report zooms in on specific geographic areas, like the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. These regions, which stretch along the Egyptian border and divide Gaza from east to west, have been subject to intensive military activities. Israeli forces have “razed, extended, and cleared” these pathways to establish buffer zones and security corridors, leading to a landscape foreboding for those living nearby.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly stated that maintaining long-term control over the Philadelphi Corridor is essential for Israeli defense strategy. This insistence on territorial control raises broader questions about the future of Gaza’s inhabitants and the land itself.
Ms. Hardman added that Israeli troops have transformed the central Netzarim corridor, which lies between Gaza City and Wadi Gaza, into a four-kilometer-wide buffer zone that has largely been stripped of its buildings. Strikingly, the report does not account for developments that have unfolded since August 2024, particularly the escalated Israeli offensive in northern Gaza that began in early October 2024.
According to Louise Wateridge, a spokeswoman for the UN Palestinian refugee agency, this offensive has resulted in the displacement of at least 100,000 individuals forced from the northern reaches of the territory towards Gaza City and its vicinity. This mass movement is a stark reality for many, including 63-year-old Ragheb al-Rubaiya from Jabalia Camp in Northern Gaza. He recounted, “We were driven from our home when the bombing began from the sky and the tanks. They forced us out against our will.”
Ragheb added, “Everything in Jabalia is being destroyed, and the intent couldn’t be more obvious: to obliterate the north and sever it from Gaza.” This firsthand account encapsulates the deep fears and lived realities of many Palestinians caught in the crossfire of conflict.
Human Rights Watch contends that “the actions of the Israeli authorities in Gaza reflect the organized endeavor of one ethnic or religious group to eliminate another—from their land through violent means.” This notion is exacerbated by the report’s claim that there is a deliberate strategy behind these displacements, intended to maintain affected areas devoid of any Palestinian presence permanently. The implications of these assertions are profound and merit serious international attention.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
