Israel’s stepped-up attacks and forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank have raised concerns about possible ethnic cleansing, the United Nations said Thursday.
The U.N. human rights office said the cumulative impact of Israel's military conduct during the genocidal war in Gaza, plus its blockade of the territory, had inflicted living conditions "increasingly incompatible with Palestinians' continued existence as a group in Gaza."
"Intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza," the office said in a report.
"This, together with forcible transfers, which appear to aim at a permanent displacement, raise concerns over ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank," it added.
The report looked at Nov. 1, 2024, to Oct. 31, 2025.
