Israel’s recent evacuation order issued to Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza, along with its persistent attacks on the territory, could be considered illegal under international law, a United Nations representative said Tuesday.
“We are concerned that this order combined with the imposition of a ‘complete siege’ on Gaza may not be considered as lawful temporary evacuation and would therefore amount to a forcible transfer of civilians – in breach of international law,” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office, said in a statement.
The term “forcible transfer” refers to the forced displacement of civilian populations, an action considered to be a crime against humanity that the International Criminal Court could punish nations for.
On Friday, the Israeli military ordered about 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City and move southward ahead of its expected ground offensive. No such operation has officially begun yet. Hamas, which has an extensive track record of using civilians as human shields, ordered civilians to remain in their homes and ignore the evacuation order.
The U.N. also suggested that it is Israel’s responsibility to provide accommodations for Gazans who temporarily left their homes while the Israel Defense Forces continued attacking Hamas targets in the area via airstrikes.
“Those who managed to comply with the Israeli authorities’ order to evacuate are now trapped in the south of the Gaza Strip, with scant shelter, fast-depleting food supplies, little or no access to clean water, sanitation, medicine and other basic needs,” Shamdasani added.
The U.N.’s comments came as international concerns mount about the growing humanitarian crisis in the region. Food and water supplies are reportedly running out for displaced Gazans after Israel cut off supplies to the region, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians in dire need.
Egypt, which also shares a border with Gaza, has refused to allow refugees to cross into its territory and humanitarian aid sent to the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian-Gaza border have been held up due to the ongoing fighting.
The U.K. prime minister Rishi Sunak’s office said Tuesday that Israel should resume water supplies to Gaza.
“We continue to urge Israel as a democracy we work closely with to act within international law in their actions, I think they are taking steps to do that,” a spokesman for Sunak said. “We are in discussions and are keen to see water restored to the area. We want to do everything possible to relieve the unfolding humanitarian issues in Gaza. Water is an important part of that.”
Gaza’s hospitals are also in critical condition as their fuel reserves are running low, expected to last only another 24 hours as estimated by the U.N.’s Palestinian branch UNRWA.
Israel continues to retaliate against Gaza-based Hamas militants after they massacred over 1,400 Israelis, starting October 7. Israel said 289 of its soldiers have been killed since the war began. The regional conflict, now on its tenth day, has taken the lives of at least 2,800 Palestinians in Gaza while thousands more remain injured on both sides.