Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing “acts of genocide” by deliberately denying Palestinian civilians in Gaza adequate access to water.
It says Israel’s actions include deliberately damaging water and sanitation infrastructure.
The campaign group says it may have caused thousands of deaths, which it says amounts to a “crime against humanity”.
Israel refused. HRW report As “propaganda”.
In a post on Xan Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the group was “once again spreading its blood libel… The truth is the exact opposite of HRW’s lies”.
The 179-page report states that “since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately prevented Palestinians from accessing adequate amounts of water necessary for survival in the Gaza Strip”.
It says Israel deliberately damaged infrastructure, including treatment plants that power solar panels, a reservoir, and a spare parts warehouse, while also blocking fuel for generators.
It says Israel also cut off electricity supplies, attacked repair workers and blocked the entry of repair equipment into Gaza.
“This is not just negligence,” said HRW Executive Director Tirana Hasan. “It is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the death of thousands of people from lack of water and disease, which is nothing less than a crime of genocide against humanity, and nothing less than an act of genocide.”
The report is based on interviews with dozens of Palestinians from Gaza, including water authority officials, sanitation experts and health care workers, as well as satellite images and data from October 2023 to September 2024.
On October 7, 2023, Israel launched a major military offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
At least 45,129 people have been killed in Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry. It has no data on the number of deaths due to lack of access to water or other such causes.
The HRW report states that to constitute the crime of genocide, proof of intent is required for the alleged acts. It says the findings, including statements by senior Israeli officials, “may indicate such intent”.
But, rejecting HRW’s accusations against X, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Israel had “facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite operating under constant attacks by the Hamas terrorist organization.” provided”.
He said water pipelines and pumping and desalination facilities were working, and that water tankers had repeatedly delivered supplies to Gaza through Israeli crossings.
“This report is full of lies that are appalling even by HRW’s already low standards,” he added.
The HRW report is the latest in a series of accusations by human rights groups and others that Israel is committing genocide in its campaign in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s highest court – is also currently reviewing a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
The 1948 Genocide Convention, adopted in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust of European Jewry, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, racial, ethnic or religious group. “.
Israel has strongly denied such allegations, calling them “completely baseless” and based on anti-Semitism. It says it has not intentionally harmed civilians in Gaza and is only fighting against Hamas.