Amnesty International has strongly condemned Israel’s actions regarding the “forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.” The organization stated that any attempt to forcibly relocate the population en masse under threats or through military force constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law.
In an official statement, Amnesty called on the Israeli government to immediately abandon any plans aimed at “annexation or mass forced displacement of Palestinians” in Gaza, as such policies represent a grave violation of international agreements and UN resolutions.
The organization emphasized that “Israel continues to commit acts tantamount to genocide in the Gaza Strip” and highlighted: “Any form of direct or indirect forced displacement of Palestinians is legally considered a war crime, for which those responsible must be held accountable.”
The statement further noted that the Israeli government is using the issue of detainees as a pretext for ongoing human rights violations against Gaza’s population. According to Amnesty, these violations include forced displacement, collective starvation, indiscriminate bombings, and the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure.
The statement followed Israeli media reports indicating that the security cabinet had approved a plan for the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip. The plan involves redeploying Israeli forces and relocating the population from northern to southern Gaza. According to Israel’s Channel 12, the plan aims for full military control over the territory, with observers seeing it as an attempt to forcibly create a new demographic reality.
Concerns about the potential implementation of these plans were heightened by earlier statements from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who in February suggested that Gaza could be transformed into a “Riviera of the Middle East” after displacing its residents, sparking widespread regional and international outrage.
Since March, Israel has imposed strict restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, significantly worsening the humanitarian crisis and endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians amid acute shortages of food, water, and medical care.
The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has claimed over 52,000 lives, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian sources. Tens of thousands more have been injured, while civilian facilities and infrastructure have been extensively destroyed, accompanied by systematic displacement and starvation.
