Human Rights Watch Values Israel Commits War Crimes Over Refugees Of Gazans

JAKARTA - Israeli authorities have caused forced evacuation of Palestinians in Gaza to a level that is a crime of war and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in its report Thursday.

The report is the latest in a series of reports by aid groups and international agencies warning about the dire humanitarian situation in the trapped enclave.

"Human Rights Watch found that forced evacuation has expanded, and evidence suggests that it has been systematic and is part of state policy. This action is also a crime against humanity," the report said.

In response, Israel accused the organization of using rhetoric that was "completely wrong and not in accordance with reality".

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Israel's efforts were "directed solely to dismantle Hamas' terror capabilities and not to Gazans, unlike Hamas, which uses civilians as human shields and instills terror infrastructure within residential areas".

"Israel views all civilian losses as a tragedy, while Hamas views all civilian losses as a strategy. Israel will continue to operate in accordance with the law of armed conflict," the spokesman said in a statement.

Hamas themselves denied that they used civilians as human shields, or hid fighters and weapons in facilities such as hospitals and schools.

It is known that the law of armed conflict prohibits the forced transfer of civilians from occupied areas, unless necessary for the security of civilians or urgent military reasons.

The latest conflict in Gaza broke out after a militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region which killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 people as hostages on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli calculations.

Israel retaliated by carrying out a blockade, airstrikes and ground operations on the Palestinian enclave. Until yesterday, the death toll of Palestine had reached 43,736 people and 103,370 people were injured, the majority were children and women, quoted from WAFA.

Israel's action destroyed most of the enclave infrastructure, forcing most of the 2.3 million people to move several times.

Over the past month, Israeli forces had moved tens of thousands of people from areas north of the enclave as they attempted to destroy Hamas forces that the military said had reunited around the cities of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.

Human Rights Watch said the transfer of Palestinians was "possibly planned permanently in the buffer zone and security corridor", an action he said would be "ethnic cleansing".

The Israeli military itself denies seeking to create a permanent buffer zone. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday Palestinians displaced from their homes in northern Gaza would be allowed to return after the war ended.