OHCHR expresses concern over forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza – JURIST

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan expressed deep concern on Friday over the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza, stating the Israeli army is forcibly displacing Palestinians from vast areas of land.

Al-Kheetan stated:

We call on all parties to reach a permanent ceasefire as soon as possible. Israel must immediately end its blockade of humanitarian assistance and refrain from any acts amounting to forcible transfer of Gaza’s population. Forcible transfer is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a crime under international law.

According to Rule 131 of Customary International Humanitarian Law, parties to a conflict must ensure that displaced civilians receive adequate shelter, hygiene, healthcare, safety, and nutrition while keeping families together. Al-Kheetan highlighted, however, that Israel has not taken any steps to provide accommodation for the evacuated population or to ensure that these evacuations occur under proper conditions. Additionally, the Israeli army instructed residents of western Rafah to relocate to Al Mawasi, which has reportedly been subjected to bombardment.

Since resuming its military campaign on March 18, the Israeli army has issued ten mandatory evacuation orders, affecting large areas across all governorates of the Gaza Strip. This follows the conclusion of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement on March 1. The second phase, which was supposed to begin on February 3, has not materialized. This phase was intended to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has refused to halt the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are dismantled. As a result, he has rejected moving into the second phase.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk last week expressed concerns over the escalation of violence in Gaza. Since then, the UNRWA has reported that at least 50,144 Palestinians have been killed and 113,704 have been injured between October 7, 2023, and March 25, 2025, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.