Human Rights Watch (HRW) has leveled serious accusations against Israel, claiming that the country is committing “acts of genocide” by denying clean water to Palestinians in Gaza. The organization is urging the international community to implement targeted sanctions in response to these actions.
In a report published Thursday, HRW detailed how, since Israel’s military offensive began in Gaza in October 2023, Israeli authorities have systematically blocked access to much-needed water supplies for Palestinians. “The Israeli government is intentionally killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water they need to survive,” Lama Fakih, HRW’s Middle East director said at a news conference.
The 184-page report details Israel’s actions-which include cutting off water supplies piped from Israel into Gaza, disrupting electricity needed for water pumps, and limiting fuel for generators. It also listed that humanitarian aid organizations and agencies of the United Nations were being blocked from delivering vital water-related materials.
Satellite imagery analyzed by HRW shows widespread destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, including the systematic destruction of solar panels powering crucial wastewater treatment plants. In one incident, eyewitness accounts said Israeli soldiers filmed themselves as they destroyed an important water reservoir.
These actions have consequences: because of such actions, many Palestinians in Gaza have only a few liters of water per day, while the minimum for human survival is 15 liters a day. More than 2.3 million residents are denied even this minimal right, which contributes to increased mortality and the spread of diseases.
HRW determined that such policies amount to “acts of genocide” under the 1948 Genocide Convention, as Israeli authorities are subjecting the Palestinians to conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the population.
Israel has flatly denied the allegations, calling the HRW report “appalling lies.” The Israeli government believes it has the right to defend itself after the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas from Gaza.
Of course, establishing genocide requires proof of intent as defined by the Convention-a pattern of acts committed to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. HRW cited several statements by some Israeli officials as indicating such intent to inflict harm on the Palestinian populace to assert that water deprivation can be classified as a type of genocidal acts.
The report further noted that Israel has also violated the provisional measures issued by the ICJ in January, which had called for access to be provided to basic services and humanitarian assistance as proof of the lack of genocidal intent.
In light of these findings, HRW is calling on the international community to consider “targeted sanctions, suspension of arms transfers, and a review of bilateral trade and political agreements” in order to force Israel to comply with ICJ directives. This report comes after a similar conclusion by Amnesty International earlier this month, which also deemed the actions of Israel in Gaza as amounting to genocide.
The ICC recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting; hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, and extensive destruction has been wrought throughout Gaza.
