As the smoke rises over GazaThe smaller of two Palestinian territories, home to two million people. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, surrounded by Israel and Egypt. , fear permeates the air. The tanks and weapons amassing on the border and the continual aerial bombardment of the region have led to over one million Gazans being displaced in a single week.¹

IsraelA country in the Middle East, and the only Jewish nation in the modern period. It is seen by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the Holy Land. calls this displacement an "evacuation". But PalestiniansPeople from Palestine, an area located in the Southern Levant region of Western Asia. describe it as a "second NakbaMeaning "catastrophe" in Arabic, used to refer to the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. " - a reference to the 1948 exodus of 700,000 Palestinians during the war that led to Israel's creation.

Israel claims it is rooting out HamasA militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. militants after last week's devastating attack left at least 1,300 Israeli citizens dead. But now one United Nations human rights expert has alleged that Israel may be on the verge of a "mass ethnic cleansingThe systematic forced removal from one area or killing of an ethnic group, with the aim of creating a region that is ethnically homogeneous. " of Palestinians.² 

Reporters at the scene paint a horrifying picture. Ambulances full of the injured rocked by explosions; families lying dead in the road amongst their belongings; parents clutching children as cars burn. 

They have been told to leave.³ But observers ask, where can Gazans really go? Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth and the territory's borders into Israel and Egypt are closed. 

Some observers allege even greater crimes. Raz Segal, an Israeli historian and associate professor of HolocaustThe murder of six million Jewish people in Europe by Nazi Germany. Members of other minority groups were also killed. and genocideThe annihilation of a people, either through killing of its members, or through the suppression of its culture. studies, claims that this is "a textbook case of genocide".⁴

Israel rejects this fiercely. It claims Gaza militants brought this on themselves when they indiscriminately massacred families in their homes and young people at a music festival.

"Hamas is responsible for the tragic innocent loss of life that we are seeing, both Israeli and Palestinian." declared Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK. 

Many claim that all Israel wants is peaceful coexistence. International law permits self-defence.

Meanwhile, Israel denies expelling civilians, saying the order to leave aims to help those who wish to leave combat zones. 

As global powers debate legality, humanity demands compassion. Around the world, human rights workers are calling on decision makers to avoid and condemn further deaths of civilians, and crimes against them. Israelis and Palestinians alike, they say, deserve safety, dignity and a future.

Yes: Israel's military actions in Gaza seem designed to forcefully remove Palestinians from their territories. The mass expulsion of an ethnic group from a territory fits the definition of ethnic cleansing.

No: Israel argues it is acting in self-defence against Hamas attacks and merely assisting those who wish to evacuate combat zones. Israel claims its aim is peaceful coexistence, not the elimination of Palestinians from Gaza.

Or... This is a fast-moving situation. Initial information, especially from warzones, can often be unclear. More investigation is needed to determine conclusively whether ethnic cleansing is occurring.