The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates in a report published this Thursday, November 14 that the repeated evacuation orders from the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip are leading to forced population displacements, which falls under ” war crime “. The NGO also mentions a “ ethnic cleansing », based on a set of testimonies from Gazans, satellite images and public data.
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“ Human Rights Watch has documented evidence that Israeli officials […] commit the war crime of forcible transfer » of civilians, indicates the report published this Thursday. According to HRW, the “ actions ofIsrael also appear to fit the definition of ethnic cleansing “, in areas where the army has ordered Palestinians to leave and where they will not be able to return. For their part, the Israeli authorities say they are calling on the inhabitants of entire sections of the territory to evacuate due to military imperatives and thus say they are participating in the protection of civilians. “ Israel should demonstrate in every case that the displacement of civilians is the only option to comply with international humanitarian lawnotes Nadia Hardman, researcher at HRW. Israel cannot simply rely on the presence of armed groups to justify the displacement of civilians “, she continues.
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“ Of course, the Israeli army claims that it is evacuating all these people for their sake and for their safety, and that it is doing so in a legal manner and with legally acceptable justifications.protests HRW spokesperson for the Middle East, Ahmed Benchemsi, at the microphone ofOriane Verdier of international service. Except Israel did four things. First, Israel implemented an inconsistent civilian evacuation system […]. Second, Israel told displaced civilians to use so-called safe evacuation routes to so-called safe areas. And then they bombed both. Third, Israel not only failed to provide food, water and shelter to displaced Palestinian civilians, but Israel even blocked humanitarian aid and used famine as a weapon of war. And finally four, Israel has systematically destroyed parts of Gaza to make them uninhabitable as part of a deliberate policy to prevent the return of Palestinians. » So many violations of the law of war which, according toNGOare constitutive of “ ethnic cleansing in progress »
Buffer zones completely razed, 1.9 million Gazans displaced
In October, the UN put the number of Gazans displaced by the war at 1.9 million. The total population was estimated at some 2.4 million at the start of the war. According to HRW, Israeli authorities are orchestrating the movements and ensuring that certain affected areas ” remain permanently empty “. In its report, the NGO emphasizes two areas that Israelis call the Neztarim and Philadelphia corridors. They were, according to HRW, “ shaved, spread and cleaned » by the army to create buffer zones for security reasons. The first, which cuts the Gaza Strip from east to west, now extends between Gaza City and Wadi Gaza over 4 km wide, according to the report. Almost the entire building was demolished, Ms. Hardman said during a presentation to the press. The second runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that the army must continue to control it.
The investigation examines Israeli justifications point by point and concludes that it was a crime against humanity
Ahmed Benshemsi, Human Rights Watch Middle East spokesperson
The NGO’s accusations are heavy, but completely accepted. “ A key point of our new report is to remind the public that crime against humanity is not just an expression that we throw around out of emotion.supports its spokesperson It is a legal name […]. In other words, before qualifying military acts as crimes against humanity, investigations and careful legal analysis must be carried out. It turns out that we did all that. […] Our investigation denies Israeli justifications point by point and concludes that it was a crime against humanity. »
The report is based on interviews with Gazans, satellite images and public data, all collected up to August 2024. It therefore does not even take into account the ongoing Israeli offensive in the north of the strip. of Gaza for more than a month, which has forced at least 100,000 people to leave the northernmost localities for Gaza City and its surroundings, according to Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).