HRW accuses Israel of illegal forced evacuations in Gaza

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of conducting unsafe and illegal evacuations in Gaza, describing them as “brutal” and paving the way for further crimes against civilians.

According to HRW, Israeli forces are ordering Palestinians in northern Gaza to leave shelters, including schools, detaining men, and then attacking or occupying these shelters. Civilians, including children, have reportedly been killed in these attacks.

The rights group highlighted that ongoing Israeli operations in northern Gaza have displaced hundreds of thousands, forcing them to move to overcrowded areas like Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, which lack basic necessities and have also faced bombardments.

It warned that these evacuations, carried out under conditions that leave no safe refuge in Gaza, could amount to war crimes, emphasizing that forced displacement without ensuring safety is illegal under international law and urged the global community to take serious action.

HRW’s findings, based on satellite imagery, media, and UN reports, document collective punishment and starvation tactics, which it says constitute war crimes. The UN reports over 60,000 displacements in northern Gaza in October, with shelters, hospitals, and other places of refuge targeted.