Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report on Thursday asserting that Israel has committed acts of genocide and extermination by withholding clean water from thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, resulting in dying.
Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination through this policy, inflicting mass killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to the HRW report. “This policy also constitutes a ‘act of genocide’ under the Genocide Convention of 1948.”
Israel has consistently denied any allegations of genocide, claiming that it complied with international law and has the right to self-defense in the wake of the cross-border Hamas-led attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
The report described water deprivation as genocide, but emphasized the need to prove the intent of Israeli officials. It highlighted statements by senior Israeli officials that indicated they want to destroy Palestinians, considering water deprivation genocide.
HRW follows Amnesty International’s report that labels Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, becoming the second major rights group to do so in as many months.
