---
title: 'UN Flags Ethnic Cleansing Concerns Over Israel’s Gaza, West Bank Operations'
url: 'https://thediplomaticinsight.com/un-ethnic-cleansing-concerns-israels-gaza-west-bank/'
author: 'News Desk'
date: '2026-02-20T13:07:22+05:00'
categories:
  - 'Featured'
  - 'Middle East'
  - 'World'
---

# UN Flags Ethnic Cleansing Concerns Over Israel’s Gaza, West Bank Operations

**Geneva (TDI):** The United Nations has expressed deep concern over Israel’s ongoing military operations and forced transfers of Palestinians, warning that these measures “raise concerns over ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

According to a report released Thursday by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Israel’s cumulative actions during the Gaza conflict, combined with the territory’s blockade, have created conditions “increasingly incompatible with Palestinians’ continued existence as a group in Gaza.”

The report highlights intensified attacks, systematic destruction of entire neighbourhoods, and restricted humanitarian access, noting that these measures appear aimed at permanently shifting Gaza’s demographic balance. “Together with forcible transfers that seem intended for permanent displacement, these actions raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing,” the UN said.

Covering the period from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025, the report also documented Israel’s “systematic use of unlawful force” in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem, widespread arbitrary detentions, and extensive unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes. The UN said these practices are designed to “systematically discriminate, oppress, control and dominate the Palestinian people,” altering the West Bank’s demographic and political character in a way that raises “serious concerns of ethnic cleansing.”

**Read More: [Pakistan, Arab Nations Warn Israeli Ceasefire Violations Threaten Gaza Stability](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/pakistan-arab-nations-warn-israeli-ceasefire-violations-threaten-gaza-stability/)**

In Gaza, the report described the killing and maiming of unprecedented numbers of civilians, widespread famine, and the destruction of remaining civilian infrastructure. At least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, were reported to have starved to death during the 12-month period. The UN said Palestinians faced the “inhumane choice” of starving or risking death to obtain food, directly linking these conditions to Israeli government actions.

The report stressed that using starvation as a method of war constitutes a war crime and, depending on intent, could also amount to genocide.

**Read More: [US warns Israel over Gaza and West Bank settlement.](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/us-warns-israel-over-gaza-west-bank-settlement/)**

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued to hold Israeli and foreign hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The UN rights office stated that treating hostages as bargaining tools also qualifies as a war crime.

“Israeli forces, Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups committed serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, gross violations of international human rights law, and atrocity crimes,” the report concluded.