Israel flouting international law with forced evacuations in Gaza, UN says

The UN Human Rights office accused Israel of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under “mandatory evacuation orders.”

The Israeli army has issued what the UN describes as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza, since it resumed its war against Hamas on March 18, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire amid rows over terms for extending it.

“These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law,” UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan says.

Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously denied violating humanitarian law in Gaza, blaming Hamas militants for harm to civilians by operating among them. Hamas denies this.

“Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition,” Al-Kheetan’s statement adds.

Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, it says, while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety 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,” it adds.