9 February 2024
WASHINGTON, DC—The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) condemns Israel’s declared intention to forcibly transfer more than 1 million civilians from Rafah, Gaza. Forcible transfer of civilian populations is universally recognized as a war crime; and claims that such transfers are intended to protect civilians from hostilities do not withstand scrutiny. CIEL calls on the international community to take immediate and urgent measures to ensure that such transfer is not carried out.
This declaration occurs against the backdrop of escalating attacks on Gaza that are wholly incompatible with the precautionary measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In the two weeks since the ICJ ordered Israel to ensure that its forces do not commit, contribute to, or permit acts of genocide, the situation in Gaza has only deteriorated further. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed in that short period, and nearly 100,000 civilians have been killed or wounded since hostilities began.
Israel has continued and extended its program of flooding tunnels beneath Gaza, putting substantially all of the fresh water resources in Gaza at risk and undermining a fundamental prerequisite for life for Gaza’s population. Starvation, disease, and exposure to the elements are now pervasive.
Israel has been credibly accused of committing war crimes inside and adjacent to hospitals in Gaza, and experts have warned that Israel’s systematic destruction of medical infrastructure in Gaza is, itself, a war crime. Critically, this destruction directly affects the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to give birth safely (and for newborn babies to survive) in direct contravention of the ICJ’s precautionary measures.
There is now overwhelming evidence that Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza is destroying both the built and natural environments of the region and in so doing rendering the region not only unsafe but potentially uninhabitable for the current population and for future generations of Palestinians.
These acts must be interpreted in light of recent public statements by high-ranking Israeli officials calling for the complete removal of Palestinians from the Gaza region, and in light of the ongoing dispute between Israel and Gaza regarding the development of offshore oil and gas resources near the Gaza coast.
There is now overwhelming evidence that the precautionary measures ordered by the ICJ to prevent the international crime of genocide are not being followed. Every member of the international community has a duty under international law to act.
CIEL calls on the international community to take immediate and strong measures to ensure Israel complies with the ICJ’s precautionary measures, ensure accountability for international crimes already committed, and secure an immediate ceasefire.
Media Contact
Maria Frausto, press@ciel.org.