The Israeli military’s designation of “safe areas” in Gaza has come under scrutiny as evidence suggests that these zones are being used to carry out war crimes against the Palestinian population. Despite claiming to prioritize the safety of civilians, the Israeli army has utilized legal technologies and announcements to organize violence and obfuscate their actions under the guise of international humanitarian law precautions. This disturbing pattern has raised concerns about the ethics and legality of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
In October, the Israeli military ordered 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, citing safety reasons. However, many Palestinians who heeded the warning were bombed along the way and upon arrival in designated safe areas. This mass evacuation order was just the beginning of a series of actions taken by the Israeli military to exert control over the Palestinian population and perpetrate violence against them.
One example is the designation of Salah al-Din Street, Gaza’s main north-south route, as a “safe corridor” during the ground offensive. The Israeli army shared a map of the evacuation passage, emphasizing their supposed “humanitarian effort” to protect civilians. However, this so-called safe corridor quickly turned into a corridor of horror, where Palestinians were randomly bombed, executed, forcibly disappeared, tortured, and humiliated.
Furthermore, the Israeli army continued to bombard the territory south of Wadi Gaza, which had been declared a “safe area” for Palestinians seeking safety. Shockingly, when the death toll of the war reached 15,000 Palestinians, including many civilians killed in these alleged safe zones, the United States administration merely requested an expansion of the safe areas instead of condemning the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
In response to the criticism, the Israeli army introduced a new “humanitarian tool” called the evacuation grid system. They published a map dividing the Gaza Strip into 600 blocks, indicating which areas were to be evacuated and which were deemed safe. However, instead of increasing safety for civilians, this system created chaos and increased death tolls. Areas previously designated as safe were transformed into urban battlegrounds, forcing Palestinians to flee once again to new safe zones. Unfortunately, these newly designated safe zones were immediately targeted by the Israeli military.
In December, a New York Times investigation revealed that Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it had designated safe for civilians. These 2,000-pound United States-made bombs posed a significant threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza. Despite this evidence, the Biden administration has commended Israel for its supposed efforts to protect civilians.
According to international law, safe zones should be established through agreements between the fighting parties. However, in many conflicts, this rarely happens, and safe zones can become tools for organizing violence. This was evident in the cases of Bosnia and Sri Lanka, where safe areas turned lethal for civilians.
Similarly, in Gaza, Israel unilaterally decides what is safe for Palestinian civilians, using the discourse of safety and associated legal technologies as a lethal tool for ethnic cleansing. By concentrating displaced populations into shrinking safe areas, Israel effectively targets them for extermination. This strategy not only serves a military purpose but also aims to defend Israel against accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
With the recent genocide application submitted to the International Court of Justice, Israel’s legal discourse of safety is being called into question. The Israeli government has long tried to present its actions as abiding by international law, but the scale of destruction and the risk to civilian lives in Gaza expose their complete disregard for the population’s safety.
In conclusion, the Israeli military’s designation of “safe areas” in Gaza has become a disturbing pattern of violence and ethnic cleansing. The evidence suggests that these zones are used to perpetrate war crimes against the Palestinian population. It is crucial for the international community to closely monitor and address these actions to ensure the safety and protection of civilians.
