“The Israeli government is using civilian starvation as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip, which is a war crime,” HRW said in the report.
“Israeli forces are deliberately blocking the supply of water, food and fuel, preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid, destroying agricultural land and depriving the civilian population of essential means of survival.”
The Israeli government, in turn, accused HRW of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism.
“Human Rights Watch…did not condemn the attack on Israeli citizens and the October 7 massacre, and therefore has no moral right to speak about what is happening in Gaza, because it has turned a blind eye to the suffering and to the human rights of Israelis,” said Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Israel on Friday approved the temporary delivery of aid to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The first humanitarian aid convoy entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom on Sunday. According to an Egyptian Red Crescent official, who wished to remain anonymous, 79 trucks with humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the border crossing.
2023-12-18 13:35:00
israel-is-deliberately-starving-civilians-in-gaza