A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Thursday said Israel’s repeated evacuation orders in Gaza amount to a “war crime of forced displacement” and “ethnic cleansing” in parts of the Palestinian territory, as Tel Aviv rushes to push a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in a bid to win a foreign policy victory over President-elect Donald Trump.
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of mass displacement in Gaza
Israeli authorities have caused the forced displacement of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip to an extent that constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Thursday.
The report was the latest in a series of appeals by humanitarian groups and international organisations warning of the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave. The report said:
“Human Rights Watch found that forced displacement was widespread, and evidence shows that it was systematic and part of government policy. Such actions also constitute crimes against humanity.”
Israel’s military and foreign ministry did not immediately comment, but Israeli authorities have previously denied such allegations and said their forces acted in accordance with international law.
The law of armed conflict prohibits the forcible transfer of civilians from occupied territory, except when necessary to ensure the safety of civilians or for imperative military reasons.
Thousands of Palestinians killed and displaced by the war
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip last year after Hamas-led militants attacked population centres in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 as hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to Gaza health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure, forcing much of the 2.3 million population to relocate several times.
Over the past month, Israeli forces have displaced tens of thousands of people from areas in the north of the enclave in an attempt to destroy Hamas forces, which the military believes are reforming in the towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
HRW said the displacement of Palestinians was “likely planned to be made permanent in buffer zones and security corridors,” which it said amounted to “ethnic cleansing.”
The Israeli military has denied seeking permanent buffer zones, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that Palestinians forced out of their homes in northern Gaza would be allowed to return at the end of the war.
2 sisters among 4 killed by Israeli army in northern Gaza
The Israeli army on Thursday killed at least four Palestinians, including two sisters, in an ongoing offensive in the northern Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that three Palestinians, including two younger sisters, were killed and others were injured when the Israeli army shelled Jabalia neighbourhoods.
The Israeli army heavily bombarded the eastern neighbourhoods of Jabalia refugee camp and blew up houses and residential neighbourhoods. A fourth Palestinian was killed in Jabalia by an Israeli unmanned quadrocopter that opened fire on a group of people, local sources said.
The attacks came as the Israeli army continues a deadly offensive in northern Gaza since October 5 to allegedly prevent Hamas from regrouping amid a suffocating blockade of the area. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.
Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine and fuel, has reached the area, leaving most of the population on the brink of imminent starvation. According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 2,000 people have died since that time.
Israel plans Lebanon ceasefire as “gift” for Trump
Israel is manoeuvring towards a cease-fire agreement with Lebanon, an initiative that could give incoming President Donald Trump a diplomatic triumph once he takes office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid the groundwork for this “new era” in relations with Washington well before the US presidential election by keeping in touch with Trump, while Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer discussed the issue with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the architect of the Abrahamic Accords.
A former Trump administration official told the media that Kushner could take an advisory role if Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation talks move forward, even though he does not hold an official position in the White House.
Dermer’s talks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, reportedly focused on a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon involving Russia. Russian representatives visited Israel last month to discuss the plan, and Dermer followed that visit to Russia.
From Hezbollah’s perspective, a source close to the terrorist group has indicated a potential agreement to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River as part of a temporary ceasefire. According to Israeli sources, the Lebanese army will control the border area for the first 60 days of the agreement under US and British supervision. However, Hezbollah has resisted the Israeli condition, which is meant to be a “side document” to the agreement, putting forward a clear condition: Israel must refrain from operations on Lebanese territory.
An Israeli official said that negotiations with the US were nearing agreement. Central to these talks was a “side document,” deemed critical, to be provided by the US, that would specify Israel’s operational freedom in response to any Lebanese violations.
Israel and the US have reached clear agreements giving Israel the right to act in the event of arms shipments from Syria, rearmament of Hezbollah or attempted attacks. The importance of US agreement is underlined by the current tensions between the countries, and the legitimacy and ability to act is of paramount importance to Israel.
“Side document”
Key elements of the agreement being drafted include the withdrawal of Hezbollah troops north of the Litani River, the deployment of the Lebanese army in South Lebanon, and the prevention of arms transfers from Syria. At the same time, Israeli representatives, including Dermer, visited Moscow to put pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Despite these efforts, serious doubts remain about Lebanon’s willingness to accept the agreement. As one Israeli official noted, it is possible to reach agreements with the Americans, but ultimately the Lebanese may reject them. If that happens, Israel is prepared to develop alternative operational plans, vowing to avoid a prolonged state of war of attrition and promising to intensify action in Lebanon until an agreement is reached.
An agreement could be reached in the coming weeks. If successful, it would be submitted to Israel’s political security cabinet for approval, although it has not yet been decided whether it would require Knesset approval.
