The head of the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency has raised alarm over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, after new UN findings described widespread destruction, forced displacement, and conditions amounting to ethnic cleansing.

In a statement published on X, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said a deeply troubling report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights paints a devastating picture of life under ongoing military operations.

According to the UN findings, entire neighborhoods in Gaza have been destroyed and communities expelled, developments Lazzarini said are “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”

The report also documents continuing killings and injuries, severe restrictions on humanitarian access, and a blockade that has pushed large parts of the enclave toward famine.

The findings further describe allegations of torture and other systemic abuses, while also pointing to escalating violence and displacement in the occupied West Bank, suggesting that the crisis extends beyond Gaza and reflects broader patterns across the Palestinian territory.

Lazzarini warned that a climate of impunity is allowing violations to persist, stressing that such realities must not become normalized.

“Wars have rules. International law matters,” he said, echoing calls for urgent international accountability.

The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, underscored that message, warning that impunity has lethal consequences. Accountability, he said, is not only necessary for justice but a prerequisite for any durable peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

With famine risks rising, displacement deepening, and investigations mounting, UN officials are increasingly framing the situation not only as a humanitarian emergency but as a test of whether international law can be enforced in modern warfare.