A new UN report released on the day of the annual General Assembly meeting claims that Israeli forces have “systematically destroyed” civil life in Gaza since October 2023 while demonstrating a “clear intent” to forcibly remove Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, effectively preventing any chance of a future Palestinian state.
Israel’s plans to expand its illegal settlements in the occupied territory, according to the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, were detailed in the report released on Tuesday. It claimed that Israel is destroying civilian infrastructure, forcing Palestinians to cross the border, and razing basic infrastructure.
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Israeli officials have “shown a clear and consistent intention to establish permanent military control over Gaza and to change its demographic composition while systematically destroying Palestinian life in Gaza,” according to the report, citing Israeli demolition of wells, sewage pumping stations, and wastewater treatment plants, as well as the destruction of educational institutions, mosques, and cemeteries.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war against Gaza has resulted in at least 65, 382 casualties, and 166, 985 injuries. Another tens of thousands are thought to be buried beneath the rubble. At least 29 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City on Tuesday alone as ground forces advanced in the city’s south, and deadly Israeli air attacks were becoming more frequent.
Israel declared war on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack that resulted in the deaths of 1, 139 people. 48 of the roughly 200 people who were taken captive are still present in Gaza. At least 20 of them are reportedly still alive.
A UN investigation revealed last week that Israel’s occupation of Gaza was a genocide, a turning point in the nearly two years of fighting that campaigners claim is a war of vengeance without any specific objectives.
On March 18, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently abdicated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and launched massive airstrikes. Additionally, it placed a total aid blockade in the 2.3 million-person enclave, which has been the site of forcibly displaced 2.3 million people’s famine and starvation deaths.
The UN found in its report on Tuesday that “the widespread destruction of Gaza has created a situation where Palestinians cannot return to their homes,” opening the door for Israeli officials to suggest that they “voluntarily immigrate” to other nations.
The Commission points out that if implemented, Israeli officials’ plans for “voluntary migration” and the creation of a “humanitarian city” would constitute the war crime and crime against humanity for the forced displacement and deportation of the Palestinian population.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued to advocate for “voluntary migration” of Palestinians leaving Gaza, a term used to describe forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.
Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant were wanted on charges of war crimes last year, according to the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli mission in Geneva responded to the most recent UN report by saying that “Hamas has genocidal intent toward Israel,” and the report is completely contradictory. This Commission makes the most of every opportunity to reveal its true personality and political agenda.
Israel has referred to the UN as “anti-Israel,” but it has not provided any supporting evidence. In Israel’s recent strikes, at least 373 UN employees have died.
Life in the West Bank is being occupied.
Israel’s recent actions in the occupied West Bank were also highlighted by the UN commission.
According to the UN report, “Israeli policies and actions in the West Bank show clear intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians, increase Israeli civilian presence, and annex the entire West Bank, preventing any potential Palestinian self-determination and statehood and maintain an indefinite occupation,” according to the UN report.
Since Israel began its devastating war against Gaza, which left more than 1, 000 Palestinians dead, in the occupied West Bank, Israel has launched a crackdown on the region. In the last 23 months, there have been at least 18, 000 Palestinian arrests. Israeli military and settler violence was at its highest level in years even before the Hamas-led Palestinian group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
As Israel’s settlement expansion on Palestinian lands continues, more than 100 Palestinians were detained earlier this month in Israeli-led raids on the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
Netanyahu has long pressed for a future Palestinian state.
“We have promised that no Palestinian state will exist,” the statement read. As he signed a deal that would make any future Palestinian state essentially impossible, Netanyahu stated earlier this month.
He also boasted of having obstructed the Oslo peace process, which required a freeze of settlements, which was deemed against international law in 1993. A resolution was passed by the UN General Assembly last September, urging Israel to end its occupation of the occupied territories within a year.
Source: Aljazeera
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