Israel committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing in Gaza: HRW

Human Rights Watch has said in a report that Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including massive forced displacements that amount to ethnic cleansing.

A new report released on Thursday by the New York-based rights group said people have been killed while evacuating under Israeli orders and in Israeli-designated humanitarian zones, where hundreds of thousands are crammed into squalid tent camps.

The 154-page report, "Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged’: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza," examines how Israeli authorities’ conduct has led to the displacement of over 90 percent of the population of Gaza — 1.9 million Palestinians — and the widespread destruction of much of Gaza over the last 13 months.

The report said the widespread, deliberate demolition of homes and civilian infrastructure in Gaza – some of them to carve a new road bisecting the territory and establish a buffer zone along Israel's border – was likely to "permanently displace" many Palestinians.

"Such actions of the Israeli authorities amount to ethnic cleansing," Human Rights Watch said.

Israel's brutality

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the report.

Israel's blistering campaign in Gaza has killed over 43,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.

Around 90 percent of the territory’s population has fled their homes, with many displaced multiple times.

The Israeli offensive has also damaged or destroyed around two-thirds of homes and other buildings in Gaza, according to UN assessments.