Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of carrying out a policy of genocide and extermination by deliberately depriving Palestinians of supplies of clean water in Gaza.
“This policy, inflicted as part of a mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, means Israeli authorities have committed the crime of extermination, which is ongoing. This policy also amounts to an ‘act of genocide’ under the Genocide Convention of 1948,” HRW said in its 179-page report, Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water.
HRW’s allegation echoes Amnesty International’s broader genocide charge against Israel on December 5th.
In its accusation, HRW relied on the World Health Organisation, which said in normal times a person requires 50-100 litres of water a day, whereas in emergency situations the minimum is 15 litres. The report said: “Israel’s actions have deprived the majority of the more than two million Palestinians living in Gaza of access to even that bare minimum.” The figure given for current access to water in Gaza is 2-9 litres a day per person for drinking, cooking and personal washing.
The report said Gazans rely on sea and well water that is “not suitable for drinking”. The World Health Organisation has said there have been 669,000 cases of acute diarrhoea, 132,000 cases of jaundice (indicating hepatitis), 225,000 cases of skin diseases and one million cases of acute respiratory infections between October 2023 and October 2024. HRW said dehydration and malnutrition “undermine people’s abilities to heal from wounds and disease, leading to infections, illnesses, and deaths”.
HRW regional director Lama Fakih said Israel’s systematic attacks on water sources and infrastructure “have likely caused thousands of deaths and will continue to cause deaths into the future, including after the cessation of hostilities”.
As evidence of Israeli intentions following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, HRW quoted then-Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, who ordered “a complete siege” on Gaza, and said there “will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel, everything is closed”.
HRW said water piped from Israel into Gaza was initially halted but later restricted. It said Israel cut electricity to “operate water pumps, desalination plants and sanitation infrastructure within Gaza and blocked and restricted the fuel needed to run generators”. It accused Israel of preventing “United Nations agencies and humanitarian aid organisations from delivering critical water-related materials”. According to HRW, Israel “damaged and, in some cases, destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure” and prevented repairs by killing utility workers and striking Gaza’s main water equipment warehouse.
To press Israel to change policy, HRW referred to the International Court of Justice provisional ruling of January 26th, 2024, which required Israel “to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance, and prevent and punish incitement to genocide”.
Israel has repeatedly rejected any accusation of genocide, saying it has respected international law and has a right to defend itself after the cross-border Hamas-led attack from Gaza on October 7th, 2023 that precipitated the war.
In a statement on X, Israel’s foreign ministry wrote: “The truth is the complete opposite of HRW’s lies.”
“Since the beginning of the war, Israel has facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite operating under constant attacks of Hamas terror organization.” – Additional reporting: Reuters
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