Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are grappling with a dire humanitarian crisis under the Israeli ongoing war, coupled with the complete siege of the area.
Qatar has “strongly condemned” the Israeli ministers’ calls to forcibly displace Gaza’s population and the re-occupation of the area on Thursday, stressing the displacement and “collective punishment” of Palestinians “will not change the fact that Gaza is a Palestinian land.”
“Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the statements of the Ministers of Finance and National Security in the Israeli occupation’s government[…]and considers them an extension of the occupation’s approach to violating the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, contempt for international laws and agreements, and its poisonous efforts to block opportunities for peace,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement was referring to calls by Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, for the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians on Monday during a Knesset meeting.
The Israeli ministers had advocated for the forced displacement of Palestinians as a solution to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and to enable Israelis’ return to illegal settlements. Ben Gvir told reporters that the war is an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza.”
The comments came as Israel continued its genocide in Gaza, killing 22,313 Palestinians and injuring 57,296 others, according to the latest figures by Gaza’s authorities.
The Israeli war has already internally displaced 1.9 million out of the Strip’s 2.2 million population, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“The policy of collective punishment and forced displacement practised by the occupation authorities on the residents of Gaza will not change the fact that Gaza is a Palestinian land, and will remain Palestinian,” the Qatari statement added.
The statement called on the international community to join efforts in “confronting the extremist and provocative policies of the Israeli occupation, to avoid the continuation of the cycle of violence in the region and its expansion to the world.”
The Gulf state reiterated its calls for “a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue” and the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Israeli ministers’ comments have been rejected by some of Tel Aviv’s staunchest Western allies.
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom “firmly rejected any suggestion” over the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, stressing the area will “be part of a future Palestinian state.”
“The UK firmly rejects any suggestion of the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. We share the concerns of our allies and partners that Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office said in an online statement.
The U.S. State Department Spokesperson, Mathew Miller, had issued a statement on Tuesday voicing Washington’s rejection of the Israeli ministers’ remarks. Miller described the statements as “inflammatory and irresponsible.”
“We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately,” Miller said.
“We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel,” he added.
Florencia Soto Nino, the associate spokesperson for the UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Wednesday that the agency is “completely” against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
“As a principle, we are completely against forced displacement. So that needs to be made very, very clear. The aim really should be for Palestinians to be safe in Gaza, for the civilians to be safe in Gaza,” Nino said.
“We’ve been very clear that we’re not advocating, that no one should be advocating for mass displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza and that they should be safe in their homes,” she added.
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are grappling with a dire humanitarian crisis under the Israeli ongoing war, coupled with the complete siege of the area. Gaza’s population is under an imminent risk of famine, with barely any drop of water or electricity to survive.
OCHA said that there is only one pipeline coming from Israel that supplies about 1,100 cubic metres per hour for southern Gaza, barely enough for the entire population. Israel controls all basic resources under its ongoing occupation of Palestine.
Foreign aid has been stacking up in Egypt’s El Arish awaiting Israel’s greenlight to cross over into Gaza through the shared Rafah crossing, preventing the Strip’s population from accessing life-saving assistance.
An average 100 of trucks or less have been entering Gaza since the beginning of the hostilities, a figure that is significantly lower than the pre-war daily average of 500 trucks. The trucks awaiting entry include vital food, sanitary and medical supplies.
Gaza’s health sector has collapsed under the non-stop bombardment, Israeli raids and complete air, land and sea siege. As of Wednesday, only 13 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO warned on December 21 of an expected increase in illnesses across Gaza as a result of hunger, especially among children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and seniors.
Infectious diseases have been on the rise with over 100, 000 cases of diarrhoea reported since mid-October, half of which are among children aged below five. WHO recorded more than 150,000 cases of upper respiratory infection in addition to cases of meningitis and hepatitis among others.
“The people of Gaza, who have already suffered enough, now face death from starvation and diseases that could be easily treated with a functioning health system. This must stop. Food and other aid must flow in far greater amounts,” WHO said at the time.
