VOA News | Friday, November 15, 2024 
HRW accuses Israel of war crimes, ethnic cleansing — a conclusion Israel rejects

Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity in its war against Hamas militants in Gaza, a conclusion Israel rejected. The report said Israel, which has repeatedly displaced and relocated civilians, is “committing the war crime of forcible transfer,” and the actions “appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing” in the areas where Palestinians will not be able to return. “Human Rights Watch found that forced displacement has been widespread, and the evidence shows it has been systematic and part of a state policy. Such acts also constitute crimes against humanity,” the report said. In response, Israel accused the organization of using rhetoric that is “completely false and detached from reality.”The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Israel’s efforts are “directed solely at dismantling Hamas’s terror capabilities and not at the people of Gaza, unlike Hamas, which uses civilians as human shields and embeds terror infrastructure within residential areas.” “Israel views all civilian harm as a tragedy, while Hamas views all civilian harm as a strategy. Israel will continue to operate in accordance with the law of armed conflict,” spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement. Hamas denies that it uses civilians as human shields or hides fighters and weapons in facilities such as hospitals and schools...Read more