UN expert says any order to evacuate Rafah would violate international law

LONDON

A UN expert denounced Israel on Wednesday over its war on Gaza and displacement policy, saying any evacuation order for the southern city of Rafah would be in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

"Five months into the assault on Gaza, Israel has lost all credibility on its claims to protect civilians in the besieged strip," Paula Gaviria Betancur, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, said in a statement

Gaviria Betancur said Israel’s evacuation orders have not made the people of Gaza safer but have instead been used to forcibly transfer and confine the civilian population in "unlivable conditions."

"I am appalled to hear that Israel intends to extend these orders to Rafah, the only semblance of refuge for nearly 70% of Gaza’s surviving population and the only functional entry point for humanitarian aid,” she said.

She said that although Rafah has already come under periodic attacks by Israeli forces, a full-scale ground assault would lead to "unimaginable suffering."

"Any evacuation order imposed on Rafah under the current conditions, with the rest of Gaza lying in ruins, would be in flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, forcing people to flee to conditions of certain death – deprived of food, water, health care and shelter," she added.

Around 1.5 million Palestinians previously displaced by Israel's offensive on Gaza are holed up in Rafah, seeking refuge from hostilities.

Israel's reported plans for an offensive on the city have sounded international alarm bells, with many countries calling for restraint or the cancelation of the operation.

Gaviria Betancur also condemned Israel’s continued efforts to "obstruct and weaponize" humanitarian aid, including through attacks on civilians seeking aid.

"Humanitarian assistance is desperately needed to alleviate the immense suffering of the people of Gaza as well as to prevent further displacement, including potential cross-border displacement," she said.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive, now in its 152nd day, on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 30,700 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,000 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.