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Israel Flouting International Law with Forced Evacuations in Gaza, UN Says

Palestinians waiting in queue to receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians waiting in queue to receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Flouting International Law with Forced Evacuations in Gaza, UN Says

Palestinians waiting in queue to receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians waiting in queue to receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)

The UN Human Rights office accused Israel on Friday of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under "mandatory evacuation orders".

The Israeli army has issued what the UN describes as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza, since it resumed its war against Hamas on March 18, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire amid rows over terms for extending it.

"These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law," UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement on Friday.

Israel's mission to the UN in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously denied violating humanitarian law in Gaza, blaming Hamas fighters for harm to civilians by operating among them. Hamas denies this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister have been indicted alongside Hamas leaders by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on war crimes charges, which Israel rejects.

"Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition," Al-Kheetan's statement added.

Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, it said, while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety there.

"We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swathes of territory," it added.

Since Israeli airstrikes resumed on March 18, at least 855 Palestinians have been killed and 1,869 injured, according to the UN, which cited figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

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Arab World

Syrians Rejoice during First Eid after Assad's Fall

Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
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Syrians Rejoice during First Eid after Assad's Fall

Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD
Hundreds of Syrian Muslims perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, 31 March 2025. EPA/BILAL AL HAMMOUD

Eid al-Fitr in Syria was charged with newfound joy this year, as thousands freely celebrated the holiday for the first time after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

From the early morning hours, crowds of men, women and children flocked to pray at Damascus's historic Umayyad Mosque in the Old City.

"This is the first time we truly feel the joy of Eid, after getting rid of Assad's tyrannical regime," Fatima Othman told AFP.

Following prayer, worshippers exchanged Eid greetings while street vendors sold colorful balloons and toys to children posing for photos with their parents.

"Our celebration is doubled after Assad's fall," said Ghassan Youssef, a resident of the capital.

A few kilometers (miles) away, on the slopes of Mount Qasyun overlooking Damascus -- a site previously off-limits to Syrians until Assad was deposed on December 8 -- a few thousand people gathered at Unknown Soldier Square for an open-air prayer.

Among them were members of the security forces and the army, dressed in uniform and armed. The road leading to the square was packed, according to an AFP photographer.

Some worshippers distributed sweets to celebrate, while the three-star Syrian flag, adopted by the new authorities, waved in the air.

Under the previous government, access to the Unknown Soldier monument was typically restricted to Assad and his close associates, who would lay wreaths there during national ceremonies.

'Celebration of celebrations!'
The memorial, where a giant screen broadcast the Eid prayer, is near the presidential palace.

There, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa prayed alongside Syria's new mufti Osama al-Rifai and several cabinet ministers in the presence of a large crowd.

He later delivered a speech emphasizing the country faced "a long and arduous road to reconstruction but possesses all the resources needed to recover".

This came two days after the formation of a new government, which faces daunting challenges in a country devastated by 14 years of civil war.

Wael Hamamiya, who had been in Sweden since the early days of the conflict, returned to Damascus to celebrate Eid with his family.

"This is my first Eid here in nearly 15 years. I truly feel the celebration in its full meaning," he told AFP, beaming.

"Everyone who has come is over the moon. This is the celebration of celebrations!"

The occasion was more somber for some Syrians, who were able to visit the graves of loved ones that had been off-limits during Assad reign, especially in former opposition strongholds.

At al-Rawda Cafe in Damascus, 36-year-old Amer Hallaq chatted with friends after returning from exile in Berlin where he ended up after dodging compulsory military service in 2014.

"For years, I thought I'd never see my family again or celebrate Eid with them," Hallaq said.

"The joy of liberation and victory is immense, but there's still a lot of work ahead. This is only the beginning of the road."