Academic Paper: Israeli Evacuation Orders: Between Reality and Law - The War on Gaza Strip as a Case Study 2023-2025 (Arabic)

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By: Diya’ Na‘im al-Safadi.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).

Al-Zaytouna Centre has published an academic paper by Diya’ Na‘im al-Safadi, titled “Israeli Evacuation Orders: Between Reality and Law – The War on Gaza Strip as a Case Study 2023-2025.”

This paper exposes how Israeli evacuation orders obscure the occupation’s crimes, including forced displacement, unlawful killings, illegal land seizure, and destruction. Israel often presents these actions as lawful by issuing advance warnings to residents in the Gaza Strip (GS). These “evacuation orders,” commonly referred to by Gazans as “flyers” or “notices,” take various forms—leaflets dropped by military aircraft, pre-recorded voice messages, or digital posts—demanding evacuation from certain areas.

The paper examines the true nature of these evacuation orders, distinguishing them from related terms to clarify their role in concealing Israeli actions. It analyzes the language, tone, and presentation of the notices, exploring the strategies used by the Israeli occupation to normalize evacuation practices. Ultimately, it reveals how these orders, presented as lawful, serve as tools of illegitimacy and coercion.

The paper reveals that Israel holds the record for violating international law, disregarding its principles, circumventing its rules, and undermining its binding nature. This is evidenced by Israel’s commission of numerous international crimes, breaching legal texts, judicial rulings, and scholarly interpretations. As of the writing of this paper, since 7/10/2023, the Israeli army has dropped thousands of paper and electronic leaflets over GS’s population, compelling them to evacuate their homes and seek refuge in other areas of the strip or head south. These orders impose a larger evacuation zone and mandate forced removal through military force.

However, the legal classification of such evacuations constitutes an international crime, falling under crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide, thereby subjecting the occupation to international legal accountability. These evacuations are precisely categorized as “internal displacement, forced relocation, and internal expulsion,” as the evacuation orders have led to the displacement of nearly two million Palestinians under the pretext of evacuation.

This paper adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to explore the phenomenon of evacuation orders, examining their definition, types and the legal implications. The study also analyzes the international legislative response to such orders and applies these findings to the real-world context in GS.