ETHNIC CLEANSING WEST BANK AND GAZA

United Nations human rights officials and international monitors have expressed grave concerns that Israeli military operations and settlement expansion constitute ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank. 

Gaza Strip

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported in February 2026 that intensified attacks and the methodical destruction of neighborhoods appear aimed at a "permanent demographic shift" in the enclave. 

Conditions of Life: The blockade and denial of humanitarian aid have created conditions "increasingly incompatible with Palestinians' continued existence as a group".

Famine and Starvation: At least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, were confirmed to have starved to death between late 2024 and late 2025 due to Israeli-imposed restrictions on aid.

Forced Displacement: Over 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced. Israeli officials have openly discussed "voluntary emigration" bureaus and the seizure of territory, which B'Tselem characterizes as active ethnic cleansing. 

West Bank

In the West Bank, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and other observers warn of a systematic campaign to remove Palestinians from their land through military force and state-backed settler violence. 

Mass Expulsions: Since early 2025, Israeli operations have forcibly displaced over 40,000 people in the northern West Bank, including the total emptying of three refugee camps.

Settler Violence: Attacks by settlers reached a more than 18-year high in 2025, with over 1,700 violent incidents documented. UN experts have identified "state-backed terror squads" as being at the forefront of this policy.

Annexation and Demolitions: Approximately 1,700 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished in the West Bank during a 12-month period ending October 2025. The Israeli government has simultaneously tripled settlement housing approvals and established over 80 new illegal outposts.

Livelihood Destruction: Strategies include cutting off water supplies (reducing Hebron's supply by over 50%), confiscating agricultural land, and establishing hundreds of new checkpoints to make Palestinian life unviable