Israel committing ‘acts of genocide’ by cutting off water in Gaza, HRW says
Al Jazeera
Human Rights Watch says Israel is intentionally cutting off water supplies and destroying infrastructure in Gaza.
Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” by denying clean water to Palestinians in Gaza, and called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions.
In a new report released on Thursday, the New York-based watchdog said that since October 2023 – when Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza – Israeli authorities have “deliberately obstructed Palestinians’ access to the adequate amount of water required for survival in the Gaza Strip”.
“What we have found is that the Israeli government is intentionally killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water that they need to survive,” Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch Middle East director told a news conference.
The 184-page study described how the Israeli government cut off the water supply piped into Gaza from Israel, cut off the electricity supply needed to operate water pumps, and blocked and restricted the fuel needed to run generators in the absence of electricity.
It also blocked United Nations agencies and humanitarian aid organisations from delivering water-related materials and other humanitarian aid.
