Human rights organization - HRW: Israel starves population in Gaza Strip
According to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), Israel's government is using the starvation of civilians as a means of warfare. This constitutes a war crime, the organization said.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused HRW of being biased and of remaining silent about the Hamas massacre on October 7, which triggered the Gaza war. He called the organization "anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli".
HRW: Israel is responsible as an occupying power
According to HRW, the Israeli army is deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food and fuel and preventing humanitarian aid. Human Rights Watch referred to interviews with displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They have great difficulties in securing their basic needs. Israel, as the occupying power, is responsible for supplying them.
According to the HRW report, Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant, among others, has publicly stated the goal of depriving civilians in the Gaza Strip of food, water and fuel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made humanitarian aid conditional on the release of hostages abducted by Hamas.
Israel's government and eyewitnesses in the Gaza Strip accuse Hamas of stealing aid supplies. According to residents, they also use armed force to do so. Before the war, around 500 trucks of humanitarian goods were entering the area sealed off by Israel every day; currently, only a fraction of this number is being delivered.
Coastal area completely sealed off after Hamas massacre
Following the Hamas massacre, Israel completely sealed off the coastal area. No aid supplies were allowed into the area for two weeks. Israel accused Hamas of having large supplies of fuel and food in the Gaza Strip but not wanting to give anything to the civilian population. Israel fears arms smuggling to Hamas when delivering aid and insists on checking the shipments in advance.
According to HRW, the blockade of the Gaza Strip for 16 years is a collective punishment of the civilian population and a war crime.
Hamas seized sole power in the coastal strip by force in 2007. Israel then tightened a blockade of the coastal area. This is supported by Egypt, which is not mentioned by the aid organization. Both countries justify the closure with security interests.
HRW report
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- The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, specifically in the Gaza Strip, has been a subject of concern for Human Rights Watch (HRW), who accuse Israel of war crimes due to its actions, such as blockading the delivery of essential supplies to civilians.
- The Israeli Foreign Ministry has countered these accusations, labeling HRW as biased and accusing them of ignoring the Hamas massacre that initiated the Gaza war.
- HRW maintains that Israel, as an occupying power, is responsible for ensuring the basic needs of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, which is currently facing severe difficulties due to deliberate Israeli actions blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel.
- The Israeli Defense Minister, Joav Galant, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have publicly stated the intention to deprive civilians in the Gaza Strip of basic necessities, which HRW considers a serious violation of human rights and international law.
- The blockade of the Gaza Strip, enforced by Israel and Egypt for over 16 years, has been criticized by HRW as a collective punishment of the civilian population, amounting to a war crime and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
