Israel has been accused of using starvation as a weapon of war against Gaza.
The accusation comes from NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) who, in a statement issued today, Monday December 18th, said that Israel is deliberately depriving Palestinians of access to food, water and other basic necessities.
As the HRW called on world leaders to act on the issue, they stated that the use of hunger against a civilian population is a war crime.
The press release cites statements from Israeli officials, interviews with survivors, reports from aid organisations, and evidence from satellite imagery to establish that Israel is engaged in the “deliberate use of policies to deprive Palestinians of the resources necessary for daily existence”, Al Jazeera reports.
The statement comes as Israel faces increasing internal and external pressure regarding mounting civilian casualties resulting from its “indiscriminate” bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israel has killed 18,787 people and injured another 50,897, according to the latest figures, while thousands are believed to be buried under the rubble.
