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