Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of committing the war crime of forcible transfer and ethnic cleansing in Gaza through repeated evacuation orders, according to a report released on Thursday. HRW stated that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the criteria for ethnic cleansing in areas where displaced Palestinians are unable to return.
The 172-page report, led by HRW researcher Nadia Hardman, is based on satellite imagery, public reports, and interviews with displaced Gazans through August 2024. While Israel cites civilian safety and military necessity as grounds for the displacements, Hardman argues, “Israel cannot simply rely on the presence of armed groups to justify the displacement of civilians” under international humanitarian law.
According to UN data, 1.9 million Palestinians had been displaced in Gaza by October 2024, with Gaza’s population estimated at 2.4 million before the conflict erupted in October 2023.
The HRW report highlights specific zones like the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border and the Netzarim Corridor, which have been cleared to create security buffers. Israeli forces have widened the central Netzarim corridor to a four-kilometre buffer zone largely free of buildings, according to HRW.
Although the report’s findings cover developments up to August 2024, it excludes the intensified Israeli military operations in northern Gaza since early October. This recent offensive has reportedly displaced at least 100,000 people from the north towards Gaza City, according to the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency.
HRW’s report contends that the actions constitute an organised effort to remove Palestinians from areas within Gaza by violent means, ensuring that affected areas remain permanently cleared of Palestinians.
