Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Kan.
Ya’alon, who served as defense minister from 2013 to 2016, spoke about alleged Israeli plans to expel Palestinian residents from the northern Gaza Strip and establish Israeli settlements there instead.
He said he was speaking on behalf of Israeli commanders deployed in northern Gaza who are deeply concerned about the situation.
“They are put in life-threatening situations, they are confronted with moral dilemmas,” he said, adding that they could also be charged before the International Criminal Court.
Israel committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip, Ya’alon said.
His comments were condemned as “malicious lies” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing conservative Likud party.
Far-right members of the Israeli government have repeatedly called for the return of Israeli settlers to the Gaza Strip, but this is not official government policy.
