HRW Accuses Israel of Committing Genocide Through Water Crisis

Geneva, MINA – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of committing acts that constitute genocide and extermination by depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to clean water, resulting in the deaths of thousands, Middle East Monitor reported.

The human rights group released a report—“Extermination and Genocide: Israel Deliberately Deprives Palestinians in Gaza of Water”—that said Israeli authorities are deliberately depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to clean drinking water and sanitation, which are essential for basic human survival.

“This policy, carried out as part of the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, constitutes the ongoing crime against humanity of extermination. This policy also constitutes ‘genocide’ under the 1948 Genocide Convention.”

Israel denies the allegations, claiming to be in compliance with international law and framing its attacks as self-defense in response to a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, led by Hamas.

“The truth is the exact opposite of HRW’s lies,” the Israeli foreign ministry claimed on social media. “Since the beginning of the war, Israel has facilitated the continued flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite ongoing attacks by the Hamas terror organization.”

However, Israel stressed that proving genocide legally would require clear evidence of intent. Statements by senior Israeli officials were included indicating a desire to “destroy the Palestinian people,” leading the report to argue that this systematic deprivation of water “could amount to the crime of genocide.”

“What we found is that the Israeli government is deliberately killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water they need to survive,” Lama Fakih, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, told a news conference. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)