(MENAFN) A UN-appointed expert on adequate housing asserted that Israel’s extensive destruction of homes in Gaza represents “part of an act of genocide” and emphasized that the devastation has continued despite the ceasefire reached in early October, according to statements made during an interview.

Balakrishnan Rajagopal said “Actually, Israel has continued to kill individuals and to demolish homes and then also to deny any aid to come in insufficient quantities.” He argued that the ceasefire has not been fully observed and that no effective oversight mechanism exists to ensure compliance or accountability.

The rapporteur described conditions in Gaza as largely unchanged from the period before the ceasefire, noting that although large-scale airstrikes have paused, “every other form of destruction and killing and denial of aid is still ongoing, and the territory continues to be under occupation.”

Rajagopal stressed that Israel insists the structures it targets are “military objectives,” yet he said authorities have provided no proof to justify such claims. In his assessment, the widespread and indiscriminate leveling of residential areas amounts to grave violations of international humanitarian law, crimes against humanity, and—given the broader context—actions consistent with genocidal intent. He said, “... which is actually a grave violation of the laws of war, but it's also a crime against humanity, and because of the way in which Israel has been waging a genocide in Gaza, it's also part of an act of genocide, and I've pointed this out many times ... this is actually a very unfortunate situation.”

He added that most demolitions, occurring in areas already seized by Israeli forces, involve troops entering neighborhoods, placing explosives, and destroying homes long after combat has ended. These actions, he argued, are unrelated to legitimate wartime needs and “completely contrary to international law.”

Rajagopal reiterated his previous warnings about what he terms “domicide,” describing it as the systematic destruction of housing during conflict. He said, “They continue to commit what I've called many times, including to the (UN) General Assembly, (it's) domicide. Domicide is massive destruction of housing during conflict.”

He also warned that displaced families in Gaza face increasingly perilous conditions. More than 288,000 families, he said, remain without proper shelter, and the makeshift spaces they occupy are “very threadbare and completely inadequate.” Many are living in flooded areas, he said, with freezing winter temperatures and rising risks of disease posing severe threats to vulnerable groups.

Rajagopal noted that Israel has failed to authorize the entry of tents and caravans required under the ceasefire terms, leaving aid shipments stalled at border points. According to him, this withholding of essential shelter forms part of a deliberate strategy intended to keep people moving, fostering insecurity and displacement. He argued that this creates conditions that enable the gradual assertion of greater Israeli control in Gaza.

He concluded that the continued obstruction of shelter assistance and ongoing destruction contribute to a broader plan of territorial appropriation, calling the situation deeply alarming.

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