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Ethnic cleansing

Ethnic cleansing is openly discussed in Israeli discourse, including by ministers in the ruling government. This includes the ministers of Finance,[1] National Security (who also stated he would like to live in Gaza),[2] Heritage (who also called to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza),[3] Agriculture (who claimed that another Nakba was ongoing),[4] the former Minister of Information[5] and a former Minister of Justice.[6] Israel MPs have also participated in the discussion.[7] Other state officials have said similar things. The head of a local council, for example, proposed to send all Gazans to Lebanon, flatten the whole Strip so “it becomes an empty museum like Auschwitz”.[8] Some IDF officers and soldiers fighting in Gaza support the same idea.[9] A Israeli government plan proposal to repopulate all Gazans to the Sinai Peninsula (part of Egypt) has been leaked.[10] Israel has also attempted to get the US to pressure Egypt into accepting Gazan refugees,[11] and has attempted to convince several countries including Congo to accept Palestinian refugees.[12] Other locations members of Israel government suggested as potential resettlement locations include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the European Union and Chile.[13] According to Israeli media, Chad and Rwanda have expressed interest to accept tens of thousands of Palestinians in exchange for generous financial support that included military support.[14] In early February a coalition MP stated that the removal of Gazans from the North of the Strip is “the only achievement we have in the war”.[15] In mid-February a local human rights organization revealed that Egypt was building a high-security area for the reception of Palestinian refugees,[16] and in late March an Egyptian source claimed Egypt was preparing for the entrance of 150,000 Palestinians during an Israeli invasion of Rafah.[17]  Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, suggested in mid March that Israel should remove civilians from Gaza and added that “waterfront property [in Gaza] could be very valuable”.[18] According to estimates, the number of Palestinians who left to Egypt by April was 30-50 thousand.[19] In early April, a coalition MP said that several government offices were working on an operational program to resettle the Gaza Strip with a Jewish population “behind the scenes”.[20] In late April, Israel’s Minister of Finance described the upcoming battle in the southern Gaza Strip as against Amalek, and called for absolute destruction of the cities there.[21]

The absence of clear war plans,[22] war goals or a clear end game to the war has allowed many Israelis to support the resettling of Gaza with Jewish settlements after the war.[23] Over 30 right-wing organizations have supported this goal in a late January conference.[24] A total of 11 ministers and 15 MPs (of a total of 120) participated in the conference.[25] Several IDF soldiers have stated their will to resettle Gaza while uniformed and within Gaza.[26] In March, the commander of an armored battalion did the same during an interview with Israeli TV.[27] A poll from December found that 58% of Israelis (likely Jews) believe that the entire population of Gaza should be transferred away from the Gaza Strip.[28] Other polls from January, February, March and April reveal that some 20-25% of Israeli Jews believe that Israel should resettle Gaza.[29] A poll from March-April revealed that 50% of Israeli Jews thought that Israel should govern the Gaza Strip after the war.[30]

Anecdotal evidence from Gaza and Israeli society provides more indications: A video from late February presents an Israeli civilian tractor sowing fields within the Gaza Strip as a “victory photo”.[31] In early March, Jewish activists were able to briefly enter the Gaza Strip in an attempt to build a settlement there.[32] A video of a military convoy driving in a major road in the Strip reveals a very large number of Israeli flags placed along it.[33] A prominent settler leader declared in an interview on CNN that removing the local population of Gaza is necessary, while also claiming that she had a list of 500 Jewish families that were ready and willing to resettle Gaza.[34] A former MP claimed on TV in June that “we [Israeli Jews] could not live in this land if even one such Islamo-Nazi remains in Gaza, and not before we return to Gaza and turn it into Hebrew Gaza”.[35]

Inside the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers appear to have constructed “the first synagogue in Khan Younis”,[36] another synagogue there,[37] as well as inaugurated a Torah scroll in at least four occasions (Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City, the Islamic University in Gaza, Khan Younis, and the Netzarim Corridor).[38] One soldier filmed himself spray painting the Temple in Jerusalem on the ruins of a destroyed mosque in Gaza.[39] An IDF military “pizzeria” has allegedly opened in Khan Younis, and soldiers placed a sign of a fast food restaurant that might soon open in Gaza.[40] Other soldiers hold a commercial sign of an American construction company from New Jersey (and an American flag) with the destroyed buildings of Gaza in the background.[41] Donna Italia (an international pizzeria chain) appears to have opened a pizzeria in a displaced family’s home in Khan Younis to support IDF troops.[42] Many of these initiatives, it seems, were relatively short-lived. In late March, it appears that soldiers recorded themselves reading the Scroll of Esther in al-Shifa hospital.[43] Videos from April show that soldiers took over the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, turned it into a barracks and celebrated a large Passover feast (seder?) in it.[44] A different unit took over a Gazan school, transforming it into its base.[45] In May, a journalist showcased the first military synagogue in the area of Rafah,[46] while soldiers from an IDF unit prepared a makeshift sign declaring a new settlement in the Gaza Strip.[47]

All the evidence I have seen indicates that Israel is systematically destroying Gaza to make it unlivable in the future. In the first week of fighting, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza – over the annual total used by the US in Afghanistan.[48] In the first three months of fighting Israel had destroyed over 10,000 buildings in the Strip – compared to some 4,700 buildings in Aleppo after three years of fighting. A coalition of aid groups stated in December that rebuilding the housing destroyed to that point will take 7 to 10 years if financing is available and will cost some $3.5 billion.[49] According to a joint report by the World Bank and the UN, the cost of damage to physical structures alone was around $18.5 billion at the end of January (the cost during the 2014 Protective Edge was $1.4 billion).[50] In mid May a UN official stated that rebuilding could cost around $50 billion over two decades.[51] The amount of debris created by the destruction of residential areas (estimates ranged between 26 and 37 million tons in April) will take many years to remove.[52] A top UN demining official claimed that simply clearing the debris could take as much as 14 years.[53] An expert on the warfare-related destruction pointed out that the case of Gaza fits the term ‘domicide’, a massive violation of the right to housing and basic infrastructure in residential areas by making them inhabitable, which is itself a crime against humanity.[54]

Israel is said to have dropped over 500 2,000-pound bombs within the densely populated urban area, despite the massive collateral damage these bombs cause (causing death or injury in a radius of up to 365 meters around the target). These bombs are four times heavier than the largest bombs the United States used when fighting ISIS in Mosul; the US dropped a single such 2,000-pound bomb throughout its fight with ISIS.[55] After two months of fighting, Israel had already caused more destruction in Gaza than Syria in Aleppo (2012-2016), Russia in Mariupol in 2022, or (proportionally) the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II,[56] as well as the fights against ISIS in Mosul (2016-7) and Raqqa (2017).[57]

Over 60 percent of Gaza’s housing units have been destroyed or damaged.[58] As of mid-January experts estimate based on satellite imagery that between 142,900 to 176,900 buildings have been damaged.[59] By early March, 54.8% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip were likely damaged or destroyed (~70% in the North, ~50% in Khan Younis).[60] By early June, the amount increased to 58.5%.[61] Drone videos reveal the extent of the destruction.[62] By late March, some between a quarter and a third of greenhouses were completely destroyed, some 40-48% of tree crops in Gaza have been damaged; some 48% of tree cover has been lost or damaged; and some 38% of farmland (roughly half the Strip’s total land area) was destroyed by Israeli military activity.[63] Some of the destruction is purposeful, as indicated in videos by IDF troops.[64] As a result of the war and destruction, 89% of Gazan workers lost their jobs by December.[65] As of April, all staff of at least one hospital have not been paid since October 7.[66] According to estimates, the GDP of Gaza has decreased by some 80%.[67]

Israel has destroyed not only buildings whose connection to Hamas militants is weak or non-existent,[68] but also a long list of cultural institutions,[69] historical and archaeological sites,[70] dozens of governmental buildings (including the parliament[71] and the main courthouse)[72], religious buildings (over 233 mosques and 3 churches[73]), universities (most or all universities in Gaza have been destroyed according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor; at least 5 of 7 major universities were destroyed or partially damaged according to NBC; 12 of 12 were damaged or destroyed according to Le Monde),[74] hospitals,[75] educational facilities (88% of school buildings sustained some level of damage; 13 public libraries were destroyed or damaged),[76] archives,[77] and UN offices.[78] Already in early December, Israeli attacks destroyed or damaged more than 100 heritage sites, including buildings from Gaza’s medieval, Byzantine and Roman periods [79] (by mid April the number rose to 195 such sites).[80] Soldiers have been filmed within a warehouse filled with antiquities, and there appears to have been a post by the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority that claimed that some of those antiquities were taken to Israel and presented in the Knesset (the post was later deleted).[81] An investigative report by an NGO followed a single unit’s path within Gaza, raising serious concerns regarding the justification of the many explosions it was responsible for.[82] Certain areas have been completely cleared of Palestinian buildings. For example, one IDF soldier claims his unit received orders to destroy the village of Khuzaʽa and uploaded a video showing that they accomplished the mission over two weeks.[83] In this reality, even a simple shelter such as a tent is sold for more than $800. Those who cannot afford such an expense improvise a shelter from simple materials.[84] An alternative is to rent half destroyed and burnt apartments. One such apartment in Khan Younis cost $330/month.[85]

The civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip necessary to the functioning of a society has been severely damaged. Most of Gaza’s 980 registered NGOs have ceased operations.[86] Some 88% of all school buildings have sustained damage.[87] As of late March, Israel has destroyed 91% (51 of 56) of bank branches and 92% (84 of 91) of the ATMs in the Gaza Strip. All surviving branches and ATMs are in the Strip’s south.[88] Using an ATM or attempting to get access to one’s money through money changers have high commissions (e.g. 17%).[89] At least 16 cemeteries have been desecrated by the IDF, often by bulldozing.[90] One video shows a bulldozer driving within a cemetery,[91] while another shows the results of such an operation, with corpses left scattered across the landscape.[92] The IDF has also bulldozed burial sites at Nasser hospital.[93] The IDF further bulldozed broad areas in the Gaza Strip.[94] An online video depicts the torching of the Shujjaiya neighborhood in a military operation.[95] Satellite images reveal the massive extent of destruction of Khan Younis.[96] In late March, a UNICEF spokesperson described “utter annihilation” in Khan Younis, stating that “the depth of the horror surpasses our ability to describe it”.[97]

Evidence supports the conclusion that Israel is attempting to destroy all buildings inside the Gaza Strip within a kilometer of the Israel-Gaza fence to create a “buffer zone”.[98] This buffer zone will take over 16% of the territory of the Gaza Strip.[99] Such destruction has been described by the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights as a “grave breach of the Fourth Geneva convention and a war crime”.[100] In mid-February, Israeli media announced that the IDF was constructing a road to bisect the Gaza Strip, suggesting its plans for a long occupation.[101] In early March, its construction was completed,[102] and it enables rapid movement and will be held by Israel for “at least another year” according to the IDF.[103] At least 750 buildings have been destroyed to create a buffer zone on both sides of the road.[104] In subsequent months, Israel built bases within the Gaza Strip by taking over civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, as well as watchtowers and outposts.[105]

The destruction in Gaza has resulted in the displacement of some 75 percent of Gaza’s population.[106] An investigation of Israel’s evacuation orders to Gazans revealed numerous unclarities and inconsistencies within the IDF’s official orders.[107] This included, for example, five different geographical definitions of the al-Mawasi “safe zone”, which was itself bombed and invaded by IDF ground troops.[108] Other supposed “safe zones” were not safe. An NBC investigation examined seven airstrikes that took place in areas the IDF declared as safe, killing civilians.[109] Some of the evacuation orders were given online during periods of full communication outages.[110] Already by early February, 67% of the Gaza Strip’s area was under evacuation orders.[111] As a result of these repeated orders and the general overcrowdedness of the Strip, many Palestinians have been displaced several times.[112]

 



[61] https://www.conflict-damage.org/, accessed June 17 (the number is updated to June 1).