ISRAEL’S RESTRICTION OF WATER SUPPLY IN GAZA It’s an act of genocide: HRW

Associated Press New York: Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of causing the deaths of thousands of Palestinians by systematically restricting and targeting Gaza's water supply in a campaign that amounted to “acts of genocide”. The rights group was the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza's civilians. In Thursday's report, HRW alleged that countless infants, children, and adults have died from malnutrition, dehydration, and illness as a result of actions by Israeli authorities over more than a year of war to deliberately cut the flow of water and electricity to Gaza, destroy infrastructure and prevent the distribution of critical supplies.

“As a state policy, these acts constitute a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. Israeli officials are therefore committing the crime against humanity of extermination,” the New York-based group said. The rights group said that the “pattern of conduct” outlined in its report and statements from Israeli officials “may indicate" genocidal intent, but it did not come down definitively on one side. Under international law, proving intent is key in concluding whether the crime of genocide has been committed. Israel, founded as a refuge for Jews in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust, strenuously denies such allegations. It says Hamas is responsible for the destruction in Gaza because the group hides and operates in schools, hospitals and residential areas. It says the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war — the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust — amounts to genocide. “Human Rights Watch is once more spreading its blood libels in order to promote its anti-Israel propaganda,” Israel's Foreign Ministry said. It claimed Israel has worked to facilitate the flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza throughout the war. “Israel will continue to ensure humanitarian aid enters Gaza, in full compliance with international law,” the statement said.

The new report by Human Rights Watch outlined what the organisation described as an extended, methodical campaign by Israeli officials to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of water. That has drastically reduced the water supply in Gaza, from about 83 litres per person each day before the war began to between two and nine litres in the months since, the human rights group says. The World Health Organisation says people require 50 to 100 litres per day to meet basic needs and keep sickness in check. Human Rights Watch said Israeli forces deliberately razed the solar panels that powered four of Gaza's six wastewater treatment plants and destroyed a key reservoir.

The group alleged Israel also cut off electricity required to run desalination plants and other infrastructure and restricted fuel for backup generators. When the International Court of Justice issued orders in January that Israel provide Palestinians with basic services and assistance, officials ignored them, the group alleged.