Israeli authorities have deliberately deprived Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip of access to adequate water since October 2023, likely resulting in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis of extermination and genocide. Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
In its 179-page report, Extermination and Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Gaza’s Palestinians of Water, Human Rights Watch found that It has been revealed that humans are intentionally deprived of access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Survival. Israeli authorities and the military have cut off and subsequently restricted water supply to Gaza. Power cuts and fuel restrictions have rendered much of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure useless. Intentionally destroying or damaging water and sanitation infrastructure and water restoration materials. and prevented the intrusion of a vital water supply source.
“Water is essential to human life, yet for more than a year, the Israeli government has intentionally denied Palestinians in Gaza the bare minimum they need to survive.” said Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan. “This is not mere neglect; it is a calculated policy of deprivation, resulting in thousands of deaths from dehydration and disease, a crime against humanity of extermination and an act of genocide. ”
Human Rights Watch interviewed 66 Palestinians living in Gaza, four employees of the Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Utility (CMWU), 31 medical professionals, and 15 people working for UN agencies and international aid agencies in Gaza. Human Rights Watch also collected satellite images, photos, and videos taken between the start of hostilities in October 2023 and September 2024, as well as data from doctors, epidemiologists, humanitarian organizations, and water and sanitation experts. We also analyzed the data and estimates collected by
Human Rights Watch concluded that Israeli authorities deliberately created living conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of all or part of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. This policy, carried out as part of the genocide of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, meant that the Israeli authorities committed a crime against humanity of extermination, which is still ongoing. This policy also constitutes one of the five “acts of genocide” under the 1948 Genocide Convention. This policy is possible because genocidal intent may be inferred from this policy, along with statements by some Israeli officials suggesting that they wanted to exterminate the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip. There is sex. It is equivalent to the crime of genocide.
Immediately after the attack in southern Israel by Hamas-led Palestinian armed groups in Gaza on October 7, 2023, which Human Rights Watch deemed to amount to a war crime and crimes against humanity, Israeli authorities announced that they had cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip. and cut off all fuel. On October 9, then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a “total siege” of Gaza, saying: “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything will be shut down.”
That same day and in the weeks that followed, Israeli authorities shut off all water, preventing fuel, food, and humanitarian supplies from entering the Strip. Israeli authorities continue to restrict the flow of water, fuel, food, and aid into Gaza, and cut off Gaza’s electricity needed to operate life-supporting infrastructure. This situation has led to interim measures by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January, March and May 2024 ordering Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians in Gaza from genocide and provide humanitarian aid in the process. This continued even after the government announced in March that this includes water. , food, electricity, fuel.
Israeli authorities have also banned almost all water-related aid from entering Gaza, including water filtration systems, water storage tanks, and materials needed to repair water infrastructure.
From October 2023 to August 2024, the Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Authority, the United Nations, and other sources reported that the people of Gaza did not have access to the minimum water necessary for survival in a prolonged state of emergency. In northern Gaza, the United Nations reported that people did not have access to drinking water for more than five months, from November 2023 to April 2024. The August water access survey showed that people’s access to water has increased, but the majority of people still lack access to water. Make sure you have enough water for drinking and cooking.
Human Rights Watch found that Israeli forces deliberately attacked, damaged or destroyed several key water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities. In some cases, Human Rights Watch found evidence that Israeli ground forces controlled the area at the time, indicating that the destruction was intentional.
A comparison of satellite images from October 15, 2023 and January 20, 2024 shows that the destruction of central Gaza’s sewage treatment facilities is progressing. The solar panels were first damaged in early October 2023 and destroyed in November. As of January 20, 2024, one of the main buildings has been completely destroyed and several areas of the factory appear to have been bulldozed.
The destruction of Gaza’s health system, including medical tracking, means that confirmed cases of illness, illness, and death that may be related to waterborne diseases, dehydration, and starvation are not systematically tracked and reported. It means. However, interviews with medical experts and epidemiologists suggest that thousands of people likely died as a result of the Israeli authorities’ actions. These deaths are in addition to the more than 44,000 people killed directly in hostilities recorded by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people suffer from illnesses such as diarrhea, hepatitis A, skin diseases, and upper respiratory tract infections that are likely caused or contributed to by a lack of access to safe and adequate water. or suffer from a health condition. Dehydration is especially harmful to infants, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with disabilities.
The crime of genocide requires committing an act of genocide with genocidal intent. The ICJ said that to infer such intent from a state’s pattern of conduct, it must be “the only reasonable inference to be drawn” from the conduct in question. Human Rights Watch findings and statements by Israeli officials suggesting they want to annihilate Palestinians in Gaza may indicate such intentions.
Human Rights Watch also found that some of the calls for cuts in water, fuel, and aid, along with actions by Israeli officials, amounted to direct and public incitement to genocide. .
The Israeli government’s continued blockade of Gaza and closure of the Gaza Strip for over 17 years amount to collective punishment of civilians and a war crime. The closure is also part of the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution that Israeli authorities continue to commit against Palestinians.
Several governments continue to undermine accountability efforts and provide arms to the Israeli government, despite the clear risk of complicity in serious violations of international humanitarian law.
“Governments should not be complicit in the grave crimes committed by Israeli officials in Gaza, including crimes against humanity and acts of genocide, and should do everything possible to prevent further harm,” Hassan said. . “Governments that arm Israel should immediately take steps to end the risk of complicity in atrocities in the Gaza Strip and protect civilians, including through arms embargoes, targeted sanctions, and judicial assistance. It is.”
