Fleeing the War in Gaza: Interpretative Frameworks and International Legality

In this article, two prominent frameworks are identified through which the latest manifestation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been understood and discussed within Western public discourses: (1) the human and (2) the (inter-)state dimension. I then argue that, through these lenses, the Gazan population’s predicament and the possible solutions to it have been approached primarily in terms of violation of human rights and self-determination and Palestine’s statehood. Based on this premise, the article argues that these frameworks, far from being mutually congruent, overlook the distinctive circumstances of the Gazan displaced and fleeing population and the specific legal status of refugees and asylum seekers in the troubled context.