GENEVA

Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza City aims to render the area uninhabitable as part of a broader plan of ethnic cleansing, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese warned Monday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Albanese said Israel's offensive on Gaza's largest urban center amounts to "full destruction."

"The ongoing assault to take the last remnant of Gaza will not only devastate the Palestinians but also endanger the remaining Israeli hostages," she said.

Albanese said the attack on Gaza City is already displacing hundreds of thousands. "Israel is bombing using unconventional weapons… trying to forcibly evacuate the 800,000 Palestinians who were seeking refuge there. Why? Because this is the last piece of Gaza that needs to be rendered unlivable before advancing the ethnic cleansing of that piece of land. And then probably they will move to the West Bank," she said.

She stressed the offensive is not about securing territory but about erasing its viability for residents. "It's happening already. It’s not that this is a future and uncertain event … destroying entire neighborhoods, remnants of buildings where people were seeking shelter," she said.

Calling the operation "unlawful," the rapporteur said Israel has no legal grounds to continue its military presence in Gaza. She cited the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion requiring Israel to dismantle settlements, withdraw troops, stop exploiting Palestinian resources, pay reparations, and facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.

Albanese warned that some states are attempting to shift focus away from these legal obligations, without specifying which countries.

The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.