\n<\/p>\n
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip resumed mid-March following the collapse of the ceasefire and Israel\u2019s border closure.<\/p>\n
As it enters its sixth week, the denial of aid into the enclave has left more than 2.1 million Gazans trapped without access to food, drinking water, and basic services.<\/p>\n
Israel in recent weeks has ramped up its attacks on civilian infrastructure such as\u00a0 residential buildings and camps, leaving many more dead or missing under the rubble. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Between March 18 and April 9, Israeli forces have struck housing and tents for internally displaced people (IDPs) on 224 occasions during 36 separate strikes, according to the UN rights office, OHCHR.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ms. Shamdasani also highlighted the growing trend in attacks against media workers, reporting that at\u00a0least 209 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the deadly Hamas-led terror attacks of October 2023, as Israel continues to deny international media entry into the Strip.<\/p>\n
The OHCHR spokesperson acknowledged that the temporary evacuation of civilians in certain areas can be legal, under strict conditions.<\/p>\n
But “the nature and scope of the evacuation orders raises serious concerns that Israel intends permanently to remove the civilian population from these areas in order to create a so-called buffer zone<\/strong>\u201d, she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPermanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to forcible transfer<\/strong>, which is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a crime against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n Combatants need to demonstrate compliance with the rules of war, particularly the principles of distinction \u2013 meaning defenceless civilians should not be targeted \u2013 as well as proportionality and precaution.<\/p>\n \u201cIntentionally directing attacks against civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities constitutes a war crime<\/strong>, further compounding the desperate conditions for Palestinian civilians,\u201d Ms. Shamdasani said.<\/p>\n OHCHR has also repeatedly warned that collective punishment and the use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war, constitute crimes under international law.<\/p>\n Ms. Shamdasani also stressed that her office was \u201cseriously concerned that Israel appears to be inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza, conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\nWar crimes<\/strong><\/h2>\n