Since October 2023, Israeli forces have systematically dismantled civilian life throughout Gaza, while simultaneously exhibiting a deliberate strategy to forcibly displace Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. This approach effectively extinguishes any prospects for the establishment of a future Palestinian state, according to a recent United Nations report unveiled at the commencement of the annual General Assembly session.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory detailed in its Tuesday report Israel’s ongoing campaign to obliterate civilian infrastructure in Gaza and expand illegal settlements in the occupied territories. The report highlights the demolition of essential facilities, repeated forced relocations of Palestinians within the enclave, and the destruction of vital public services.
“From October 2023 onward, Israeli authorities have consistently pursued permanent military dominance over Gaza, aiming to alter its demographic makeup while systematically eradicating Palestinian life,” the report states. It cites the destruction of water wells, sewage systems, wastewater treatment plants, schools, mosques, and cemeteries as evidence of this intent.
The conflict has resulted in at least 65,382 fatalities and 166,985 injuries in Gaza since October 2023, with thousands more presumed trapped beneath the debris. On the day of the report’s release, intensified Israeli airstrikes targeted Gaza City as ground troops advanced in the southern areas, causing at least 29 additional Palestinian deaths across the region.
The hostilities began after a Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, which claimed 1,139 Israeli lives. Approximately 200 individuals were taken hostage, with around 48 still held in Gaza, and at least 20 confirmed alive.
Last week, a landmark UN investigation classified Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocide, marking a significant development after nearly two years of conflict described by activists as a retaliatory war lacking defined objectives.
Following the unilateral termination of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas on March 18, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized extensive air raids and imposed a comprehensive blockade on aid, precipitating famine and starvation in Gaza-a territory housing 2.3 million people, most of whom have been displaced by the ongoing conflict.
The UN report emphasizes that the widespread devastation has rendered Palestinians unable to return to their homes, effectively facilitating Israeli proposals encouraging Palestinians to “voluntarily relocate” abroad.
“The Commission stresses that Israeli plans promoting ‘voluntary migration’ and the creation of a ‘humanitarian city’-if executed-would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically forcible transfer and deportation of the Palestinian population,” the report warns.
Netanyahu continues to advocate for this so-called “voluntary migration,” a term widely interpreted as a euphemism for forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes.
In response to the UN’s findings, Israel’s mission in Geneva accused the commission of bias, asserting, “Hamas harbors genocidal intentions toward Israel; this report reverses reality. The Commission consistently exposes its political motivations.”
Israel has labeled the UN as “anti-Israel” without providing substantiating evidence. Notably, at least 373 UN personnel have lost their lives in Israeli strikes over the past two years.
Conditions in the Occupied West Bank
The UN report also sheds light on Israeli policies in the West Bank over the past two years.
“Since October 2023, Israeli measures in the West Bank reveal a clear objective to forcibly displace Palestinians, expand Israeli civilian settlements, and annex the entire territory, thereby obstructing any chance of Palestinian self-governance and perpetuating indefinite occupation,” the report states.
Amid the Gaza conflict, Israel has intensified its crackdown in the West Bank, resulting in over 1,000 Palestinian deaths and the arrest of at least 18,000 individuals in the last 23 months. Even prior to the October 7, 2023 attack, violence by Israeli military and settlers had reached unprecedented levels.
Earlier this month, Israeli forces detained more than 100 Palestinians during raids in Tulkarem, a West Bank city, while continuing to expand settlements on Palestinian land.
Netanyahu has openly declared his commitment to preventing the formation of a Palestinian state.
“We will fulfill our promise that no Palestinian state will emerge. This land belongs to us,” Netanyahu proclaimed recently while endorsing a settlement expansion that would effectively eliminate the possibility of Palestinian sovereignty.
He also took pride in undermining the 1993 Oslo peace accords, which mandated a freeze on settlements deemed illegal under international law. In September, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution urging Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories within one year.
The report concludes with a call for the Israeli government to immediately halt the genocide in Gaza and to acknowledge and uphold the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
