Gaza: Global warnings of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Strip

Numerous warnings have been issued from different political positions that Palestinians are in grave danger of mass ethnic cleansing, with calls on the international community to urgently mediate a ceasefire between warring Hamas and the Israeli occupation forces.

This came after the Israeli occupation forces continued bombing Gaza for more than a week, with the death toll reaching a horrific reality.

According to Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP), more than 1,030 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza by Israeli occupation forces since October 7, or about one child every 15 minutes, representing more than a third of the total death toll.

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, declared that “the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel has reached fever pitch.”

“The United Nations and its Member States must intensify efforts to mediate an immediate ceasefire between the parties, before we reach a point of no return. The international community has the responsibility to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes. Accountability for international crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces and Hamas must also be immediately pursued,” she added.

On October 16, the UN Security Council rejected a Russian draft resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, because the resolution did not receive the required number of votes after five countries supported it, four opposed, and six abstained. The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on the same day that 245 were killed and 562 were injured.

“Israel has already carried out mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians under the fog of war,” the special rapporteur said, adding, “Again, in the name of self-defense, Israel is seeking to justify what would amount to ethnic cleansing.”

“Any continued military operations by Israel have gone well beyond the limits of international law. The international community must stop these egregious violations of international law now, before tragic history is repeated. Time is of the essence. Palestinians and Israelis both deserve to live in peace, equality of rights, dignity and freedom,” Albanese said.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Israeli occupation forces reportedly began to enter Gaza in order to “clear” the area. Palestinians have no safe zone anywhere in Gaza, with Israel having imposed a “complete siege” on the tiny enclave, with water, food, fuel and electricity unlawfully cut off. Rafah, the only border crossing that remained partially open to the Gaza Strip, was closed after damage caused by Israeli airstrikes.

In a related context, Spanish Minister of Social Rights Ione Belarra called for the referral of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. She said that the people of Gaza are being subjected to genocide with American and European support.

Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the suspension of political relations with Israel and asked the Israeli ambassador to leave the country, calling on Latin American countries to follow his example, saying, “We do not support the extermination of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”