UN warnings of 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza and West Bank and calls to stop arms exports to the occupation

The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed serious and documented concerns about the Israeli occupation authorities committing widespread 'ethnic cleansing' operations in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The office clarified in its latest report that the escalation of systematic military attacks and forced displacement operations clearly aim to achieve permanent displacement of Palestinians from their historical lands.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that the cumulative effect of Israeli military conduct, coupled with the suffocating blockade, has created impossible living conditions. Türk affirmed that these policies have directly and unprecedentedly threatened the survival of Palestinians as a cohesive population group within the Gaza Strip.

The comprehensive UN report monitored serious violations during the period from early November 2024 to the end of October 2025. It highlighted the systematic use of unlawful force by occupation security forces in various areas of the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, reinforcing the policy of oppression and control.

The report indicated that the intensification of attacks and the destruction of entire residential neighborhoods, along with the deprivation of essential humanitarian aid to civilians, aims to bring about permanent demographic change. UN sources considered these practices to reflect a premeditated intention to reshape the demographic composition in Gaza and the West Bank through brutal military force.

In a related context, the report condemned the continued killing and injury of unprecedented numbers of civilians, documenting the spread of famine as a tool of war. The UN document mentioned the martyrdom of at least 463 Palestinians as a result of direct starvation in Gaza, including 157 children who died due to severe malnutrition.

The report described the humanitarian situation in the Strip as placing Palestinians before an inhumane choice: to die of starvation or risk their lives to obtain a livelihood. The United Nations affirmed that these deaths were expected and were a direct result of deliberately restrictive measures taken by the Israeli government.

The Commission stressed that the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare constitutes a full-fledged war crime, and may amount to a crime of genocide according to criminal intent. These conclusions were consistent with reports from the 'UNRWA' agency, which confirmed the continued deterioration of conditions due to strict Israeli restrictions on aid convoys.

The UN report urged the international community and all states to immediately stop the sale, transfer, and diversion of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to the occupying state. It considered that the continued supply of arms facilitates the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law in the occupied Palestinian territories and prolongs suffering.

The United Nations criticized the absence of accountability mechanisms in international plans aimed at ending the conflict, stressing that achieving justice for victims must be the cornerstone of any reconstruction efforts. It called for ensuring immediate Palestinian participation in governance structures to determine their political and social future away from external dictates.

The release of this report coincided with extremist statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he openly called for pushing Palestinians towards forced emigration from their lands. The United Nations views these statements as a coordinated effort to accelerate the annexation of large parts of the West Bank and deprive the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination.

The report noted a general climate of impunity, where the occupation authorities continue their violations without fear of deterrent international legal prosecution. Volker Türk affirmed that the absence of accountability is not just a legal concept, but a bitter reality that translates daily into more bloodshed and victims among civilians.

For its part, the occupation mission in Geneva strongly attacked the report, claiming that the Human Rights Office is engaged in a campaign of misinformation and demonization against Israel. The mission alleged that UN reports lack credibility and promote incitement, in an attempt to evade the legal and international obligations imposed by the report.

Impunity is not an abstract concept, but it leads to killing. Accountability is indispensable, and it is a prerequisite for a just and lasting peace in Palestine.