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In a post on X, externalThe Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the group was “once again spreading its blood libels… The truth is the complete opposite of HRW’s lies.”
The 179-page report says that “since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately obstructed Palestinians’ access to the adequate amount of water needed to survive in the Gaza Strip.”
It says Israel intentionally damaged infrastructure, including solar panels that power treatment plants, a warehouse and a spare parts warehouse, while blocking fuel for generators.
It says Israel also cut off electricity supplies, attacked repair workers and blocked repair materials from entering Gaza.
“This is not just negligence,” said HRW executive director Tirana Hassan. “It is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands of people from dehydration and disease, which is nothing less than a crime against humanity of extermination and an act of genocide.”
The report is based on interviews with dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, including water authority officials, sanitation experts and health workers, as well as satellite images and data from October 2023 to September 2024.
Israel launched a major military offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
At least 45,129 people have been killed in Gaza since the offensive began, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry. It does not indicate the number of deaths due to lack of access to water or other similar causes.
The HRW report notes that to constitute the crime of genocide, the alleged actions require proof of intent. It says the findings, including statements made by senior Israeli officials, “may indicate such an intention.”
But, rejecting HRW’s allegations about Hamas.”
He said water pipelines and pumping and desalination facilities remained operational, and that tankers had repeatedly delivered supplies to Gaza through Israeli crossings.
“This report is full of lies that are appalling even when compared to HRW’s already low standards,” he added.
The HRW report is the latest in a series of accusations from human rights groups and others that Israel is committing genocide in its campaign in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest court, is also considering a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
The 1948 Genocide Convention, passed after the Nazi Holocaust of European Jews, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations as “totally unfounded” and driven by anti-Semitism. He says he has not intentionally harmed civilians in Gaza and is only fighting Hamas.
