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Israel Rejects Accusations of "Forcible Transfer," "Ethnic Cleansing" in Northern Gaza
(Times of Israel) Israel on Thursday denied allegations by Human Rights Watch that the IDF had forcibly displaced Gazans and that its actions amount to "crimes against humanity." "Time and again, Human Rights Watch's rhetoric regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza is completely false and detached from reality," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said. "Israel will continue to operate in accordance with the law of armed conflict." The IDF said the report "selectively presents information in a manner that obscures context, as well as makes certain blatant misrepresentations....[It] relies heavily on Hamas-controlled sources" and omits mention of Hamas's longstanding policy of embedding itself in civilian areas "in an effort to maximize civilian harm." "The IDF's warnings to members of the civilian population to temporarily distance themselves from areas expected to be exposed to intense warfare are made in accordance with the obligation under international law to take feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm by providing advance warnings prior to attacks. The IDF only operates in areas in which there is known to be a military presence."