Draft:Allegations of ethnic cleansing in the Israeli attack on Gaza

The State of Israel has been accused of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. Multiple Israeli officials and settlers have outright or implicitly expressed support such actions, some also calling for Israeli resettlement in Gaza. Scholars have cited the Gaza Strip evacuations, intent to displace displace Gazans, and high civilian casualties as evidence of ethnic cleansing. Allegations of ethnic cleansing often accompany allegations of genocide.

More than 100,000 people have been killed or injured during the war, the majority civilians. Israel has harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, leading to a humanitarian crisis including a famine and healthcare collapse. On 13 October, Israel ordered the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip, and continuously ordered the evacuation of other regions as they advanced. The evacuations have resulted in 2 million displaced citizens.

Some far-right Israeli officials and settlers have called for Gazan displacement into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Israeli resettlement in Gaza. Displacement into Egypt has also been considered by the Israeli Intelligence Ministry in a draft paper. In South Africa v. Israel, South Africa and supporting nations accused Israel of ethnic cleansing. The United Nations and other humanitarian organizations have warned of ethnic cleansing multiple times. Israel denies all claims of ethnic cleansing or genocide.

Background
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and allied militants from Gaza invaded southern Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In response, Israel carried out an extensive bombing campaign and invaded the Gaza Strip on 27 October.

Israel killed more than 32,000 and injured almost 75,000 people. A humanitarian crisis, famine, and healthcare collapse broke out, all allegedly facilitated by Israel.

Before invading, Israel ordered an evacuation of northern Gaza. The evacuation would displace around 1 million civilians in 24 hours, a task the UN called 'impossible'. Israel later extended the deadline and most citizens moved south. Israel again ordered evacuations when it approached Khan Yunis. 2 million civilians were eventually displaced, the majority of which sheltered in Rafah. Egypt began preparing for a large refugee crisis as Israel approached Rafah, and built a wall around a portion of the Sinai Peninsula near the border with Gaza.

Statements from Israeli officials
During the course of the war, multiple members of the Knesset have made statements calling for Palestinians to be expelled from Gaza, usually into Egypt. On 9 October, Knesset member Ariel Kallner called for a second Nakba worse than the original, referring to the 1948 Palestinian expulsion. On 1 November, Knesset member Galit Distel-Atbaryan called for the destruction of Gaza and for Gazans to either die or flee to Egypt. On 13 November, Knesset members Danny Danon and Ram Ben-Barak wrote an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal in which they said the international community should accept refugees from Gaza. Another Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich supported this idea, saying 'voluntary migration' of Gazans was the 'right humanitarian choice'.

The Israeli government has also created plans for displacement of Palestinians. On 12 October, an Israeli military spokesperson and U.S. officials said that civilians should pass through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt. On 24 October, the Netanyahu-linked National Security & Zionist Strategy think-tank proposed transferring Gazans to Sinai, saying the war provided a 'unique and rare opportunity'. On 5 November, The New York Times reported that Israeli diplomats had been proposing to the US, UK, Egypt, Palestine, and others to let Gazan refugees go to Sinai. All countries rejected the idea. On 12 November, the Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter called for a 'Gaza Nakba'. On 30 November, Israel Hayom revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to 'reduce' the amount of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to 'the least possible'. On 8 January, Axios reported that Israel did not want displaced Gazans to return to their homes in Northern Gaza. However, an Israeli army spokesperson said there was no official call to direct Gazans to Egypt.

On 13 October, the Israeli intelligence ministry created a draft called 'Policy paper: Options for a policy regarding Gaza's civilian population.' The paper outlined three possible scenarios for postwar Gaza: give control to the Palestinian Authority, let a local government form, or expel Palestinians from Gaza into Sinai. The paper said expelling Palestinians was the only viable option, but the paper is not official policy. The paper was leaked on 30 October. The paper has been called a plan for ethnic cleansing.

Gaza resettlement


Some settlers have called for resettlement of Gaza since the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, but the idea became more mainstream after the outbreak of the war.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan supports resettlement, and has led a coalition of settler organizations. Kellner, Tally Gotliv and Limor Son Har-Melech, Haim Katz, May Golan and the entirety of the Jewish Power party are among those in the Knesset who support resettlement.

Prime Minister Netanyahu called the idea an 'unrealistic goal', though didn't rule out the possibility. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has supported military control of Gaza, explicitly without settlements. Israeli Ministers of Education and Transportation have both claimed that the Israeli disengagement was the cause of October 7, but have not explicitly called for resettlement. Smotrich, Gvir, Minister of Communication Shlomo Karhi, Minister of Construction Yitzhak Goldknopf, Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman, Minister of Diaspora and Ministry for Social Equality Amichai Chikli, Minister of Settlements Orit Strook, and all Jewish Power ministers were among those who attended the "Settlement Brings Security" conference.