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Geneva – The United Nations Human Rights Office has accused Israel of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under what it describes as “mandatory evacuation orders.”
The statement, issued on Friday, comes amid escalating conflict in the war-torn enclave, where the Israeli military has resumed operations against Hamas following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire.
According to UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, Israel has issued at least ten mandatory evacuation orders covering vast areas across Gaza since March 18.
“These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law,” Al-Kheetan stated, emphasizing that displaced civilians are not being provided with adequate shelter, food, or medical assistance.
Civilians Under Increasing Threat
The UN reports that more than half of northern Gaza is now under evacuation orders, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with little choice but to flee repeatedly from one unsafe location to another.
Many who were previously displaced to the southern city of Rafah are now being forced to move again, primarily to the coastal Al-Mawasi area.
However, the UN warns that Al-Mawasi lacks sufficient humanitarian support and cannot guarantee safety for those relocated there.
“We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swathes of territory,” the UN statement added.
Israel has not yet responded to the latest UN accusations. However, in previous statements, the Israeli government has denied breaching international humanitarian law.
Israeli officials argue that Hamas operates within civilian areas, using the population as human shields, and that military actions, including evacuation orders, are necessary to neutralize security threats. Hamas, in turn, denies these allegations.
War Crimes Allegations and ICC Indictments
The latest accusations from the UN come as international legal scrutiny of Israel’s military actions in Gaza intensifies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have been indicted alongside Hamas leaders by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on war crimes charges.
Israel has strongly rejected the indictments, dismissing them as politically motivated and unjust.
Despite mounting international pressure, the Israeli military has signaled that its offensive in Gaza will continue until Hamas is dismantled and its remaining infrastructure is destroyed.
However, humanitarian organizations warn that continued displacement and civilian casualties could further deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where over 2 million people are already facing severe shortages of food, medicine, and clean water.
Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
The UN’s latest condemnation underscores the dire conditions facing Gaza’s civilian population. Aid organizations have reported increasing difficulties in delivering food and medical supplies due to continued military operations and restrictions on humanitarian access.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned of potential disease outbreaks due to poor sanitation and overcrowding in makeshift shelters.
With the war showing no sign of abating and diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire stalled, international pressure is growing for Israel to halt forced evacuations and comply with international humanitarian law.
However, with both sides remaining entrenched in their positions, the humanitarian toll in Gaza is expected to worsen in the coming weeks.
As of now, Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva has not issued an official response to the latest accusations.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members