Israel accused of genocide over Gaza water restrictions
Kyiv • UNN
Human Rights Watch declares Israel's deliberate restriction of access to water in Gaza as an act of genocide. Due to the contaminated water sources, 670 thousand cases of diarrhea have been recorded among the population.
Israel's restriction of water supply to Gaza to a level below the minimum needs amounts to an act of genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity, according to a report by the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch. Human rights activists claim that Israeli forces acted deliberately to reduce access to clean water, UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
Details
Human Rights Watch investigated Israeli attacks on water infrastructure in Gaza during the 14-month war. The organization accused Israeli forces of deliberately reducing access to clean water so drastically that the population was forced to resort to contaminated sources, leading to an outbreak of deadly diseases, especially among children.
Israel's actions have resulted in the deaths of many thousands of Palestinians and constitute an act of genocide, HRW says, citing statements by ministers of the country's ruling coalition that water supplies to Gaza will be cut off as evidence of intent.
At the beginning of the year, the International Court of Justice issued a preliminary order that Israel must stop the offensive and take immediate measures to prevent genocide until the court decides whether it has committed this crime.
Israel rejects allegations of genocide or crimes against humanity in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called them “false and outrageous.
The organization argues that the evidence that Israel used water as a weapon against the Palestinian population collectively, with lethal consequences, is indisputable.
Since the beginning of the war, almost 670,000 cases of acute diarrhea have been recorded, and more than 132,000 cases of jaundice, signs of hepatitis.
