Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing the crime of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of committing the crime of extermination and acts constituting genocide in Gaza. In its latest report, the NGO asserts that Israeli forces deliberately use starvation as a weapon of war.

According to HRW, the Israeli authorities intentionally deprive the Palestinian population of access to food and water, which constitutes, according to the organization, a crime against humanity of extermination.

The NGO points out that senior Israeli officials have publicly expressed their intention to deprive Palestinian civilians of food, water and fuel. HRW also reports that the Israeli government is deliberately blocking humanitarian aid and destroying infrastructure essential to survival.

Acting director of HRW’s Middle East division, Sari Bashi, says Israeli actions go far beyond collateral damage, constituting a “deliberate policy aimed at causing civilians to suffer.”

The organization warns of an impending humanitarian catastrophe, saying that 93% of Gaza’s population faces a food crisis. HRW calls on the international community to take immediate action to end these violations of international humanitarian law.

In its detailed legal analysis, HRW highlights that these actions meet the legal definitions of genocide under international law, including the intention to destroy a national, ethnic or religious group, in whole or in part. The organization emphasizes that the recognition of these acts as genocidal is based on the explicit statements of Israeli officials and systematic actions aimed at creating impossible living conditions for the Palestinian population.

• Israeli authorities deliberately created living conditions aimed at causing the destruction of part of Gaza’s population, by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians in the enclave of adequate access to water, which likely caused thousands of deaths.
• In doing so, the Israeli authorities are responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide. The course of action of Israeli authorities, as well as certain statements suggesting that Israeli officials wanted to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, could constitute the crime of genocide.
• Other governments and international organizations should take all necessary measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, including suspending military aid, reviewing their bilateral agreements and diplomatic relations with Israel, and supporting the International Criminal Court and others. initiatives to achieve justice.

(Jerusalem, December 19, 2024) – Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water since October 2023, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thereby committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

Read the rest of the press release