"This is an act of genocide"

HRW refers to the 1948 Genocide Convention, pointing out that Israel's denial of water to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip also constitutes "genocide".

"What we found is that Israeli authorities have been deliberately killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water they need to survive," HRW Middle East Director Lama Faki told a news conference.

The 184-page HRW report said the Israeli government has cut off water and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip and restricted fuel supplies.

"As a result, Palestinians in Gaza had access to only a few liters of water per day in many areas, far below the 15 liters needed for survival," the report said.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

They deny the allegations. Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide, saying it respects international law and has the right to self-defense after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250.