Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights organization, accused Israel of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip on Thursday (December 19) for destroying water infrastructure and “deliberately depriving” Palestinian civilians of water, calling on the international community to take targeted sanctions.

In a report focusing on water resources, New York-based HRW detailed how Israeli authorities “systematically” deprived Gaza of water resources, saying that such behavior may have killed thousands of people and may continue to kill people.

The report said, “Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately obstructed Palestinians from obtaining sufficient water resources for survival in the Gaza Strip.”

The report details what the organization calls Israel’s deliberate destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, including destroying solar panels that power water treatment plants, a reservoir and a spare parts warehouse, and blocking the supply of fuel to generators.