The Israeli authorities, during a military operation in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, violated all five norms of international law regarding the evacuation of civilians. This was stated by the press secretary of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, during a briefing in Geneva. The event was broadcast on website organizations.
“The evacuation of civilians in conflict situations is strictly regulated by international law. First of all, the population must be warned in advance in order to be in time. It didn’t happen here“, stated Laerke.
Also, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not provide safe areas and evacuation routes for refugees, nor did they ensure the flow of humanitarian aid there. The civilian population should be evacuated to areas that have the necessary infrastructure, but currently this infrastructure no longer exists in the Gaza Strip, an OCHA representative stated.
Laerke added that refugees should also have the opportunity to return home after the end of hostilities, but as a result of the IDF operation, they “are unlikely to have anywhere to return to.”
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the IDF’s military operation in Rafah could turn into a humanitarian disaster.
