Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes for removing people from Gaza

Israeli authorities have caused the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza in a manner that amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Thursday.

The report is the latest in a series from aid groups and international organizations warning of the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged area.

“Human Rights Watch found that forced evictions are widespread, and evidence shows that they were organized and part of government policy. Actions like this also constitute crimes against humanity,” the report said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or the foreign ministry, but Israeli authorities have previously denied such allegations and said their forces operate in accordance with international law.

The law of armed conflict prohibits the forcible removal of civilians from a residential area, unless necessary to protect civilians or essential military reasons.

Israel attacked the Gaza Strip last year after gunmen led by Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and taking more than 250 hostages.

Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed more than 43,500 people, according to health authorities in Gaza, and destroyed the enclave's infrastructure, forcing most of its 2.3 million people to relocate multiple times.

In the past month, the Israeli army has evacuated tens of thousands of people from areas north of the Enclave as it seeks to destroy Hamas militants who say the army has been carrying out reforms in the towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.

Human Rights Watch said the displacement of Palestinians “could be organized into permanent settlements in protected areas and security zones,” a move it said would amount to “ethnic cleansing.”

The Israeli army has denied that it wants to create permanent safe zones and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that Palestinians who left their homes in northern Gaza would be allowed to return at the end of the war.