New UN report on Ethnic cleansing, violence and impunity in Gaza and the West Bank
In February 2026, the UN Human Rights Office released the report “Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the obligation to ensure accountability and justice” in which concerns regarding ethnic cleansing and increased violence by Israeli authorities in Gaza and the West Banks are raised. The report states that “intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza”. “This, together with forcible transfers, which appear to aim at a permanent displacement, raise concerns over ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The report underlines the continued killing and maiming of an unprecedented number of palestinian civilians, the spread of famine and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2025.
The report also highlights the pattern of deadly attacks against civilians and civilian objects, indicating the intentional targeting of civilians by the Israeli forces.
Concerning famine, the report details the death of at least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children from starvation in the Gaza strip. With regards to Palestinians in Israeli detention, the report documents the death of 79 Palestinians, and the vulnerability of the detained to be subject to torture and other ill-treatment.
The report states that the absence of any steps to ensure accountability for violations of international law since 7 October 2023 represented a critical gap. Furthermore, effective justice should enable Palestinian participation in governance structures to determine and shape the reconstruction of Gaza and for peaceful co-existence. :Concerning the climate of impunity for gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territory, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated: “Impunity is not abstract – it kills. Accountability is indispensable. It is the prerequisite for a just and durable peace in Palestine and Israel”. He reiterates the call upon States to pursue accountability by legal means, including universal jurisdiction and, finally, he urges all countries to stop selling, transferring, or redirecting weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to Israel that enable breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.