December 20th 2024.
According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, Israel has been accused of committing "acts of genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza. The report, which was conducted over a period of one year, found that the Israeli authorities have been deliberately depriving Palestinians of the minimum amount of water needed for survival in emergency situations, as stated by the World Health Organization.
This lack of access to clean water has resulted in thousands of deaths and the spread of various diseases among the Palestinian population. Despite these findings, Israel has continuously denied these allegations, with a spokesperson from the foreign ministry dismissing the report as "full of lies". The Biden administration, while disagreeing with the report's conclusions, has stated that they are still pressing Israel on the issue.
In particular, the US has raised concerns about water access in their discussions with Israel, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that everyone in Gaza has access to clean water. However, according to the WHO, a person needs between 50 and 100 liters of water per day to meet their basic needs, and the current situation in Gaza falls far short of this requirement. Most of the water available to Palestinians in Gaza is not safe to drink, leading to serious health issues.
Human Rights Watch has argued that Israel's actions towards Gaza amount to acts of genocide, citing the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. They have stressed that the deprivation of water is causing slow and painful deaths among Palestinians, including newborn babies who are unable to receive proper nourishment due to malnourishment and dehydration.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which began in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of nearly 45,000 Palestinians and the injury of over 106,000, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. HRW has pointed out that Israel's deliberate obstruction of water in Gaza is a direct violation of international law, as well as their obstruction of humanitarian aid and destruction of water infrastructure through airstrikes.
The World Bank and a market research firm estimated that 60% of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed by hostilities in January, and by August, this number had risen to 84%. In July, Israeli soldiers destroyed a vital water reservoir in Rafah, which was captured in a now-deleted video shared by an Israeli soldier on Instagram. However, Israel's foreign ministry has denied these accusations, stating that they have facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza and ensured the functioning of water infrastructure.
In an interview with CNN, Colonel Abdullah Halabi, the head of Israel's Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, stated that they are providing water to Gaza through three large pipes and that they are not aware of any water problems in Gaza. These claims have been refuted by HRW's report, which highlights the dire situation in Gaza and the devastating effects of a lack of access to clean water.
The crisis in Gaza has also led to a rise in diseases, including polio and diarrhea, due to the consumption of contaminated water. The lack of access to clean water has also severely impacted the healthcare system in Gaza, making it difficult to track and prevent the spread of diseases. Despite the severity of the situation, negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have yet to reach a resolution, although there have been some positive developments in recent days.
In a statement, Hamas has stated that reaching an agreement is possible, and negotiations have been described as "positive and optimistic". However, both Israeli and Hamas teams are still in discussions, and there are still obstacles to overcome. As the situation in Gaza continues to worsen, it is crucial that all parties involved prioritize the provision of clean water to the Palestinian population.
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