ICSPR Incitement to Displacement and Genocide, Escalating Killings and Settlement Expansion Place the International Community Before a Decisive Test of Accountability and Protection for Palestinians

Date: 19 February 2026

Press Release

The International Commission: Incitement to Displacement and Genocide, Escalating Killings and Settlement Expansion Place the International Community Before a Decisive Test of Accountability and Protection for Palestinians

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights – ICSPR stated that the remarks made by Israel’s Finance Minister in the occupying government, Bezalel Smotrich, in which he called for the expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, encouraged their emigration from the West Bank, the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, and the imposition of full Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, constitute public and direct incitement to commit grave international crimes, foremost among them genocide and the crime of forcible transfer. The call to uproot more than 2.3 million people from their land and replace them with settlers is not a mere slip of the tongue, but an explicit declaration of intent to alter the demographic reality by force and to strip an entire people of their right to existence and self-determination, posing a direct threat to international peace and security.

ICSPR further stated that the continued casualties following the declared ceasefire since 11 October 2025, with 611 martyrs documented and 1,630 injuries, in addition to 726 bodies retrieved from under the rubble, alongside more than 1,700 recorded ceasefire violations, reveal a sustained pattern of grave breaches. Within only 24 hours, two civilians were killed and four others injured, bringing the cumulative toll since 7 October 2023 to 72,069 martyrs and 171,728 injuries. These figures reflect the scale of widespread destruction and systematic targeting of civilians in a besieged and densely populated area, raising international criminal responsibility for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and undermining any claims of peace or respect for international humanitarian law.

ICSPR affirmed that the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and the transformation of basic humanitarian needs into instruments of political pressure constitute a war crime in itself. The entry of only around 50% of humanitarian initiatives—while actual needs require no fewer than 500–600 aid trucks daily—has left approximately 1.7 million people living in inhumane conditions inside worn-out tents, with 95% of the population entirely dependent on aid. Restrictions imposed on the Rafah Crossing, which allowed only 1,148 travelers out of 3,400 to pass between 2 and 18 February 2026 (no more than 33%), amid more than 20,000 patients in urgent need of treatment outside the Strip and over 1,400 deaths recorded while waiting to travel, constitute a flagrant violation of the rights to life, health, and freedom of movement, and amount to internationally prohibited collective punishment.

ICSPR added that, in parallel with the crimes committed in Gaza, annexation and settlement policies in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem are accelerating through the establishment of thousands of new settlement units, the presence of nearly one million settlers, the legalization of dozens of outposts, and the imposition of Israeli law over vast areas of occupied land. Daily incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque continue, along with restrictions on worshippers and the removal of those stationed there, including mosque imams. This constitutes a systematic assault on freedom of worship and on the historical and legal status quo, within a broader policy aimed at altering the demographic and cultural character of Jerusalem, in violation of United Nations resolutions and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.

ICSPR emphasized that the combination of incitement to displacement and genocide, continued killings despite the ceasefire, the suffocating blockade, and the acceleration of annexation and settlement expansion reveals a comprehensive policy aimed at forcibly reshaping Palestinian geography and demography. Such actions fall within the scope of genocide, persecution, forcible transfer, and ethnic cleansing as defined under international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The gravity of this phase lies not only in the scale of the crimes, but in their open declaration without fear of accountability, placing the international community before a decisive moral and legal test. The protection of more than 5.3 million Palestinians is a binding legal obligation not subject to political bargaining.

Accordingly, ICSPR calls upon the international community—particularly the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, and States Parties to the Geneva Conventions—to take immediate action to:

1. Open an urgent international investigation into the inciting statements and hold those responsible accountable before the International Criminal Court, including incorporating public incitement to displacement and genocide into ongoing investigation files, rather than limiting efforts to documenting material acts only.

2. Act urgently to halt ceasefire violations in the Gaza Strip, immediately lift the blockade, and open all crossings for humanitarian aid without restrictions or political conditions, ensuring the entry of no fewer than 600 trucks per day to meet basic needs.

3. Guarantee freedom of movement for travelers through the Rafah Crossing, especially patients, the wounded, students, and those with humanitarian needs, and facilitate family reunification without delay or discrimination.

4. Move to halt all settlement activities, colonial annexation measures, and policies aimed at altering the character of Jerusalem, and respect the legal status of the occupied Palestinian territories.

5. Provide urgent and effective international protection for Palestinian civilians and ensure that perpetrators of crimes do not enjoy impunity.

6. Form an international coalition, under the “Uniting for Peace” framework, to take all necessary measures to impose sanctions on the occupying power until the end of the Israeli occupation and the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return.