Atrocity Alert is a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect highlighting situations where populations are at risk of, or are enduring, mass atrocity crimes.

ISRAEL’S ASSAULT ON THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK RESEMBLES CONDUCT IN GAZA

On 21 February Israel’s Prime Minister ordered an “intensive operation” in the Occupied West Bank after three empty buses exploded in Tel Aviv. The intensive operation signals an alarming escalation in Israel’s already ongoing large-scale military assault on the northern Occupied West Bank, including with the deployment of tanks for the first time in more than 20 years. Since 21 January Israeli forces have killed at least 51 Palestinians and forcibly displaced some 40,000 residents, marking the largest wave of forced displacement in the West Bank since Israel’s military occupation began in 1967. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has condemned the military operation, underscoring the “expanding pattern of Israel’s unlawful use of force,” and reaffirming the prohibition against “any forcible transfer in or deportation of [the Palestinian] people from occupied territory.” In the Occupied West Bank, Israeli forces are employing tactics like those in Gaza – creating uninhabitable conditions and using terror to uproot residents, while attempting to erase Palestinian presence.

Refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem have become “near-uninhabitable” and virtually “emptied of their residents,” according to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). On 23 February Israel’s Defence Minister instructed the army to “prepare for a prolonged presence in the cleared camps for the next year and to prevent the return of residents,” further entrenching Israel’s unlawful presence on Palestinian territory. In Tulkarem, residents were forced from their homes with threats of violence, and told by Israeli soldiers to “forget” and “say goodbye” to their homes because they will “never return,” while Hebrew street signs were raised along bulldozed roads in Jenin refugee camp, according to OHCHR. Israeli forces have erected dozens of checkpoints, imposed restrictions on freedom of movement and systematically destroyed infrastructure, disrupting access to water, food, education and medical assistance.

State-led violence extends across the Occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have carried out violent raids in Nablus and Hebron and forcibly entered an UNRWA health center, using it for the interrogation and detention of dozens of Palestinians. Israel has also issued a new tender for the construction of over 900 settler homes, a move that would further restrict the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem and effectively divide northern and southern Occupied West Bank. Meanwhile, settler violence against Palestinians has also intensified. Between 11 and 17 February the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 34 incidents of settler violence, double the number of incidents recorded in each of the previous three weeks.

Israel must halt its military assault on the Occupied West Bank and respect the inviolability of UNRWA premises. States must urgently intervene to protect Palestinians and prevent further illegal annexation of Palestinian land. UN member states, in compliance with the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, must ensure a rapid end to Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and refrain from providing any assistance that would sustain its continuation.

STEPS TOWARD HOLDING PERPETRATORS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ATROCITY CRIMES IN MYANMAR

In the four years since the Myanmar (Burma) military overthrew the civilian-led government on 1 February 2021, the situation across the country has significantly deteriorated. This stark deterioration is particularly evident in Rakhine State, where the Muslim ethnic Rohingya population are facing the worst attacks since the military launched so-called clearance operations in August 2017. These operations were characterized by brutal violence and grave human rights violations on a mass scale. A UN Human Rights Council-mandated Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar concluded in 2018 that senior members of the military, including General Min Aung Hlaing, should be prosecuted for genocide against the Rohingya and for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states.

The ongoing violence across the country underscores the consequences of the prevailing impunity for past abuses. General Hlaing currently leads the country, where his forces have been perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity in an effort to stay in power. The military has increasingly retaliated with air and drone strikes in areas where they have lost significant territory.

To help address the accountability gap, several processes are underway to hold perpetrators accountable for violations against the Rohingya. On 13 February 2025 a court in Argentina issued arrest warrants under universal jurisdiction for 25 Myanmar officials for genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Rohingya between 2012 and 2018, including General Hlaing and the former State Counsellor of the civilian government overthrown by the junta in 2021, Aung San Suu Kyi. This is the first time such warrants have been issued against Myanmar’s military and other officials for the genocide against the Rohingya. These warrants join the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant for General Hlaing and the ongoing case at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar for violations of the Genocide Convention. Meanwhile, a Rohingya human rights activist and survivor filed a whistleblower complaint with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), providing information on Meta’s alleged role in the atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya and highlighting misrepresentations in the company’s reporting to the SEC and shareholders.

As accountability avenues advance, the international community must support these efforts. The SEC should investigate Meta for potential violations of federal securities laws to ensure accountability for its role in offline violence. The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect’s Myanmar expert, Sarah Hunter, said, “States must ramp up support for justice efforts for populations in Myanmar, addressing both past abuses and those occurring today. Funding for mechanisms like the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and civil society organizations documenting these atrocities is crucial for ensuring that justice is eventually served.”

REFLECTING ON THREE YEARS SINCE THE FULL-SCALE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

Monday, 24 February, marked three years since Russian forces commenced the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The invasion sparked a wider conflict across the country that has claimed the lives of 12,654 civilians, displaced 10.4 million people and left 12.7 million in need of humanitarian assistance – one third of the country’s population. The conflict has been defined by the widespread commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russian forces, including targeted and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the use of indiscriminate weapons and assaults on civilian infrastructure, such as healthcare, education, humanitarian warehouses and power and water facilities. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has also documented the use of torture against prisoners of war and civilians, sexual and gender-based violence and the pillaging and destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage. According to the UN, civilian casualties rose by 30 percent in 2024 – with child casualties increasing by 50 percent – compared to 2023, as hostilities escalated and Russian forces utilized more modified long-range missiles.

The day before the anniversary, Russian forces launched what the Ukrainian government described as the largest aerial attack of the conflict, firing 267 drones and numerous missiles into Ukraine, causing damage in Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Poltava, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 1,150 attack drones, over 1,400 aerial bombs and 35 missiles have been launched by Russia in the last week alone.

Meanwhile, international support to Ukraine is under threat due to drastic shifts in United States (US) foreign policy. Throughout the conflict, the US has supported Ukraine militarily, politically and financially, alongside its European and other allies. However, with the start of President Donald Trump’s term, the US has signaled a new direction, including voting against a European Union and Ukraine-drafted UN General Assembly resolution calling for a just peace in Ukraine and sharing false narratives regarding the conflict. The US has also pursued direct peace talks with Russia, sidelining Ukraine and its European allies from these discussions.

Reflecting on the anniversary of the conflict, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “I reaffirm the urgent need for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace – one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders… Enough is enough… After three years of death and destruction, I once again call for urgent de-escalation and an immediate end to the hostilities.”

As the conflict persists amid geopolitical maneuverings, all efforts toward peace must prioritize Ukrainian security and territorial integrity, alongside the need for justice and accountability for widespread atrocity crimes. Any peace agreement that does not provide guarantees for Ukraine’s security and the protection of its people from external aggression will not be sustainable.