Israel is committing an “act of genocide” in Gaza by intentionally depriving Palestinian citizens of water, a new report from Human Rights Watch said Thursday.
Israeli authorities have deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to destroy part of the population in Gaza, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths, the report found.
“This isn’t just negligence; it is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands from dehydration and disease that is nothing short of the crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide,” said Tirana Hassan, executive director at Human Rights Watch.
On Oct. 9, 2023, two days after Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, promising: “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything is closed.”
According to Human Rights Watch, Israel’s denial of water to the Palestinians amounts to the crime against humanity of extermination, one of the five acts of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November, accusing them of complicity in crimes against humanity.
Human Rights Watch is the latest NGO to join the growing body of international observers and legal experts accusing Israel of genocide, claims that Netanyahu has labelled “false and outrageous.” A landmark report from Amnesty International on Dec. 5 accused Israel of treating Palestinians as a “subhuman group” and warned that countries supplying arms to Israel, including the United States and Germany, were failing in their obligation to prevent genocide. Israel rejected that report as the work of a “fanatical and deplorable organization.”
Humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders also issued a new report on Thursday finding “clear signs of ethnic cleansing” in Gaza by Israel, adding that what its workers saw on the ground was “consistent” with claims of genocide.
Israel has so far killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, including over 13,300 children, and injured another 97,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Amnesty said the true figures may be higher.
