Moves by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to indefinitely evacuate Palestinians from northern Gaza have been branded a “textbook definition of ethnic cleansing” by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Ground forces are reported to be close to a “complete evacuation” of the region with residents told they will not be allowed to return home.
In a media briefing on Tuesday night, the IDF Brig Gen Itzik Cohen told Israeli reporters that since troops had been forced to enter some areas twice, such as Jabaliya camp, “there is no intention of allowing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes”.
He added that humanitarian aid would be allowed to “regularly” enter the south of the territory but not the north, since there are “no more civilians left”.
Taking to social media, Corbyn described the actions as a “textbook definition of ethnic cleansing”.
Resettling or permanently reoccupying Gaza is not official Israeli policy, but senior Israeli defence officials recently told the Israeli daily Haaretz that with no other alternatives on the table, the government is aiming to annex large parts of the territory.