Human Rights Commissioner warns of 'ethnic cleansing' and permanent demographic change in Gaza and West Bank

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed his deep concern about Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, affirming that military operations and policies clearly aim to bring about permanent demographic change. Türk explained during a speech before the Human Rights Council in Geneva that these cumulative measures in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank raise real fears of ethnic cleansing operations against Palestinians.

The UN official highlighted the continuous escalation in the northern occupied West Bank, where continuous attacks and violations for about a year have led to the forced displacement of more than 32,000 Palestinian citizens. Türk strongly criticized the occupation forces' use of excessive and disproportionate force, noting that these practices come in the context of tightening the noose on the Palestinian presence in those areas.

Türk revealed shocking figures documented by his office, confirming the killing of 1020 Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli security forces since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023. He considered this high toll to reflect the extent of violence against civilians, stressing the need for international accountability for these grave violations of human rights and international law.

Regarding settlement expansion, the High Commissioner referred to a series of measures announced by the occupation authorities since early February, which aim to tighten control over the West Bank and facilitate land seizure operations. Senior UN sources described these moves as a process of 'gradual de facto annexation,' undermining any future opportunities for the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.

The UN report touched upon the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip, where medical sources reported the killing of more than 600 Palestinians and the injury of 1600 others in Israeli attacks that occurred since the ceasefire agreement came into effect in October 2025. Türk affirmed that the continued fall of victims at this rate anywhere else in the world would have been classified as a major crisis requiring immediate international intervention.

Türk described the humanitarian situation in the Strip as catastrophic, noting that all of Gaza's more than two million residents have been displaced at least once. He added that the systematic destruction of residential neighborhoods and the transformation of vast areas of the Strip into uninhabitable rubble falls within a plan aimed at preventing residents from returning to their homes permanently.

The High Commissioner concluded his report by emphasizing that preventing the entry of vital humanitarian aid, in parallel with forced displacement operations, reinforces the hypothesis of an Israeli quest for permanent displacement. He stressed that the international community is required to stand up to its responsibilities to stop these policies that threaten the Palestinian existence and disregard all international conventions and norms.

It appears that the combined Israeli measures aim to bring about permanent demographic change in Gaza and the West Bank, raising fears of ethnic cleansing.