Daily Times

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday said Israel was committing “acts of genocide” in the Gaza Strip by damaging water infrastructure and cutting off supplies to civilians, calling on the international community to impose targeted sanctions.

In a new report, which focused specifically on water, the New York-based rights group detailed what it said were deliberate efforts by Israeli authorities “of a systematic nature” to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of water, which had “likely caused thousands of deaths… and will likely continue to cause deaths”.

“Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately obstructed Palestinians’ access to the adequate amount of water required for survival in the Gaza Strip,” the report said.

In retaliation to Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attacks, Israel’s invasion of the illegally occupied Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,097 people – with the death toll feared to be much higher due to thousands still missing under the rubble.

Israel on Thursday said the report by Human Rights Watch accusing it of committing “acts of genocide” in the Gaza Strip by restricting access to water for civilians was “full of lies”.

The HRW report detailed what the group said was the intentional damaging of water and sanitation infrastructure, including solar panels powering treatment plants, a reservoir and a spare parts warehouse, as well as the blocking of fuel for generators. Israel also cut electricity supplies, attacked repair workers and blocked the importation of repair materials, it said.