For a month, Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza faced three stark choices: be killed by Israeli bombardment, starve to death, or be forcibly displaced during the perilous journey south.

This is part of the military plan that legal experts described to Middle East Eye: “genocidal“.

Israeli mediaPalestinians in Gaza, as well as analysts and military officials, are aware that the current campaign is so-called “Generals’ Plan“Also known as the Eiland Plan.

The plan, proposed and supported by a group of senior Israeli army reservists, involves the forced displacement of the entire population of northern Gaza and then a siege of the area, including stopping the entry of humanitarian supplies, to starve anyone remaining.

The plan aims to defeat Hamas in the north but treats civilians who choose to remain as legitimate military targets.

Those heading south have to pass through the ‘Military Barrier’. Netzarim corridorA 6 km stretch of land established by the Israeli army in the first months of the conflict to divide the north and south of Gaza.

“Imposing a siege on a population to force them to leave an area, denying them all access to food, water, medicine and shelter is textbook ethnic cleansing and a serious crime under international law. It is both a war crime and a crime. It is both a war crime and a crime. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to housing, told MEE.

“Forcible displacement under conditions of siege in northern Gaza with the aim of eliminating their existence is genocide because it aims to destroy a people,” he added. “Israel is also responsible as a state for all these serious violations of international law.”

Israel imposed a power outage on northern Gaza, severely preventing residents from communicating with the outside world and sharing information about what they were experiencing.

Despite this, terrible news of hunger, bombardment and displacement continues to come.

What is Israel’s ‘Generals Plan’ and what does it mean for the war in Gaza?

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Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard said the campaign in northern Gaza could mean the forcible transfer of civilians from a large area.

He noted that although deportation orders were issued under the pretext that the north of Gaza would become a war zone, there was no assurance that the displaced persons would be allowed to return when the hostilities ended.

Deportation or forced transfer The killing of a population as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Sfard said it was cause for concern that the Israeli army and government had not given assurances that the forced transfer was a temporary measure.

“This is an indication that the intention is to permanently displace these people and ethnically cleanse that area. From a legal perspective, this is a frontal violation of the most fundamental principles of the laws of war,” he told MEE.

“A declaration directed at civilians does not exempt belligerent forces from the prohibition on targeting civilians, the prohibition on the use of starvation as a tool of warfare, and the prohibition on the indiscriminate use of fire,” he added.

“Imagine Hezbollah issues a statement saying that all residents of Tel Aviv must leave the area by 8pm on Sunday evening, and that Tel Aviv will be bombed after that deadline. “No one in the world would even debate whether this is legal or not.”

‘Aggravated crime’

When war broke out a year ago, many of northern Gaza’s 1.1 million residents were forced south by Israel’s deportation order.

The remaining 400,000 people ordered to leave again are believed to be the most vulnerable, including the sick, injured and elderly, as well as those who fear permanent displacement or death if they leave.

Since October 5, they have been under a brutal siege, preventing the entry of all humanitarian aid. Israel’s attacks on the region continue Killed at least 1500 Palestinians since the siege began.

UN aid chief Joyce Msuya said warned Last week it emerged that the entire population of northern Gaza was at imminent risk of death.

UN Human Rights Office He also said that Israel’s operation in the north could destroy the Palestinian population, especially around Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.

More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began a year ago.

“Palestinians in Gaza have already been victims of displacement from the Nakba multiple times and have now been displaced multiple times since October 2023 due to Israeli attacks and evacuation orders,” Rajagopal said.

“Exposing them to further displacement is an aggravated crime.”

Middle East Eye Reporters in Gaza revealed a horrific picture of Israeli soldiers forcing unarmed and hungry civilians from their homes or shelters at gunpoint in the north.

Buildings used as shelters for civilians, including UN schools, are then bombed, razed or burned by Israeli forces, making it impossible for them to return.

The Palestinian men are then separated from the women and children and interrogated. Many are then abducted to unknown destinations, where it is feared they will be tortured or killed.

The remaining men, women and children are forced to head south on what some describe as a difficult journey to MEE. death marchWhere Palestinians marched under fire from Israeli soldiers and remote-controlled helicopters.

‘Distortion of the law’

Janina Dill, a law professor at Oxford University, said the Generals’ Plan raises a number of difficulties under international humanitarian law, also known as the law of armed conflict.

‘Not running away from your home does not mean directly participating in conflicts’

Janina Dill, professor of law at Oxford University

“Yes, Israel can, and in some cases should, warn the civilian population about attacks or military operations that will affect it,” he said.

“However, civilians who ignore or are unwilling to heed such a warning or evacuation order remain civilians who deserve full protection under international law. They cannot be starved or attacked because they fail to escape.”

According to Dill, even if the Israeli military claims that civilians who chose not to evacuate acted as human shields for Hamas fighters, “the simple act of not evacuating does not allow us to conclude that civilians were deliberately protecting militants.”

“Not running away from your home does not mean directly participating in hostilities,” he said.

“To suggest that they lost their protection because they stood in the way of hostilities is truly a perversion of the law.”