An international NGO, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
In a statement issued on Monday, HRE said that Israel is deliberately depriving Palestinians of access to food, water and other basic necessities.
The use of hunger against the civilian population is a war crime, the NGO stated, calling for world leaders to act.
Citing statements from Israeli officials, interviews with survivors, reports from aid organisations, and evidence from satellite imagery, they established that Israel is engaged in the deliberate use of policies to deprive Palestinians of the resources necessary for daily existence.
For over two months, Israel has been depriving Gaza’s population of food and water, a policy spurred on or endorsed by high-ranking Israeli officials and reflecting an intent to starve civilians as a method of warfare,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.
“World leaders should be speaking out against this abhorrent war crime, which has devastating effects on Gaza’s population,” he added.
The statement comes as Israel faces increasing internal and external pressure regarding mounting civilian casualties resulting from its “indiscriminate” bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
