Water Crisis in Gaza: Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of Genocide

21st December 2024

2 minutes read

Water Crisis in Gaza: Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of Genocide

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israeli authorities of committing “acts of genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza due to the denial of sufficient access to water.
In an extensive report, the organization stated that between October 2023 and September 2024, Israel deprived Palestinians of the minimum water supply defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) for survival in extended emergencies. This deprivation reportedly caused thousands of deaths and the spread of numerous diseases, as reported by CNN.

Heavy Losses

According to the report, over two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are suffering from a severe lack of drinking water. HRW emphasized that the available water is unsafe for use, leading to “slow deaths” among Palestinians, including newborns forced to drink contaminated water due to malnutrition and dehydration.

The report also indicated that the Israeli war on Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack in October 2023, resulted in the death of approximately 45,000 Palestinians and injuries to 106,000 others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

HRW accused Israel of deliberately obstructing access to humanitarian aid, including water treatment, restricting the flow of clean water through pipelines, and massively destroying water infrastructure through airstrikes.

Statistics from the World Bank and Ipsos revealed that 60% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure was destroyed by January 2024, a figure that rose to 84% by August.

Israel strongly denied these accusations. A spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the report “full of lies.”

Israel claims it ensures the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid to Gaza and that water infrastructure, including desalination plants and pipelines, remains operational.

Disease Outbreaks

The water crisis has facilitated the spread of severe diseases such as polio. In July, the virus was detected in the sewage of displacement camps, and in August, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years.

Additionally, bacterial infections like diarrhea have become common due to the consumption of contaminated water. A Gaza resident told the organization that his family suffered severe symptoms from drinking unsafe water.

The water crisis in Gaza remains one of the most critical humanitarian challenges of the conflict, with ongoing international accusations against Israel for using water as a weapon of war.