UN 'very disturbed' by Israeli calls for Palestinians to leave Gaza

UN human rights chief Volker Turk has said that he was "very disturbed" after comments by senior Israeli officials calling for Palestinians to leave Gaza.

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday called for promoting "a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents" and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza.

His comments came the day after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also called for the return of settlers to Gaza, adding that Israel should "encourage" the territory's approximately 2.4 million Palestinians to leave.

"Very disturbed by high-level Israeli officials' statements on plans to transfer civilians from Gaza to third countries," Turk wrote on Thursday on X , formerly Twitter.

He added that "international law prohibits forcible transfer of protected persons within or deportation from occupied territory."

Vast majority already forced out of their homes

The Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not officially suggested plans to evict Gaza residents or to send Jewish settlers back to the territory since the war broke out in October.

The war erupted after Palestinian resistance group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Following the attack Israel vowed to destroy the group, launching bombardment and a ground invasion that has reduced swathes of Gaza to rubble and claimed at least 22,313 lives, according to the territory's health ministry.

The vast majority of Gaza's residents have been forced out of their homes by nearly three months of Israeli war on Gaza.