Israeli civil rights groups say Gaza City evacuation orders constitute war crimes

A group of civil rights organizations tell the defense minister, IDF chief of staff, attorney general, and other senior officials that implementation of the evacuation warnings issued to residents of Gaza City constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity since, they argue, they do not meet the requirements under international law permitting such evacuations.

Ahead of the IDF’s push into Gaza City today, the IDF dropped evacuation notices in the city stating that “For your safety you must immediately evacuate” to the Muwasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, and that staying in the city was extremely dangerous.

Gisha, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Hamoked, Adalah, and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel argue in their letter to the Israeli officials that although the Fourth Geneva Convention permits temporary evacuations if required for the security of the civilian population or for “imperative military reasons,” it also requires that “proper accommodation” and “satisfactory” living conditions be provided for evacuees.

The civil rights groups contend that since Israel is not guaranteeing the security of the evacuees or satisfactory living conditions where they are being told to move to, areas which they noted are already severely overcrowded, the evacuation warnings cannot be considered legal.

The organizations also assert that since evacuations can only be done to protect the civilian population, or for “imperative military reasons,” it is prohibited to carry out such evacuations “as a form of pressure or for advancing political goals.”

Rhetoric from senior Israeli cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, about destroying Gaza, demonstrated that the evacuation orders are not temporary since the evacuees will not have homes to return to, the groups argued.

Katz said earlier today that Israel needed Hamas to “release all the hostages and to disarm,”; that defeating Hamas would create “a larger lever for the release of the hostages,”; and that Gaza “will be destroyed” if Hamas does not agree to Israel’s terms.

The civil rights groups also argue that the government has not demonstrated there is an “imperative military reason” for the operation.

There have been repeated reports in the Hebrew media that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir as well as other senior officials in the security services, have opposed the current operation and urged the government to accept a ceasefire and hostage release agreement instead.

“The residents are forced to choose between death by bombings and being displaced where conditions are inhumane,” the civil rights groups said.